A student-led nonprofit delivering care packages to local homeless shelters and providing oral hygiene and essential care items to patients receiving free surgery in South America.
I'm a 15-year-old student at Northern Highlands Regional High School. I started Hands That Help because I believe young people have the power to create real, tangible change in their communities — and beyond. You don't have to be older, richer, or more connected to make a difference. You just have to start.
Growing up in Upper Saddle River, I've been fortunate to have access to things many people take for granted — a toothbrush, clean clothes, basic hygiene products. It took me a while to truly reckon with the fact that for many people, those basics are simply out of reach.
"You don't have to change the whole world. Just someone's world."
I was inspired by a peer whose tutoring program serves kids in Jamaica to turn my own ideas into action. So I built Hands That Help — two programs, one heart. Care packages for our local unhoused community, and oral hygiene kits for patients receiving life-changing free surgeries in South America who have no access to even the most basic personal care products.
Every package, every kit, every item — rooted in a single truth: dignity is not a privilege. It's a right.
To deliver essential care packages to individuals experiencing homelessness in New Jersey and New York, and to provide oral hygiene and personal care items to patients of free surgical missions in South America — people who, through no fault of their own, lack access to basic necessities we consider everyday essentials.
A world where compassion crosses borders and socioeconomic status doesn't determine access to care. We believe young people can and should lead on issues of equity — proving that a single student, one community, and a little generosity can reach further than anyone expects.
From our backyard in New Jersey to communities in South America — we show up with care.
We hand-assemble care packages with everyday essentials and deliver them directly to local homeless shelters across New Jersey and New York. Every package is put together with care, because the person receiving it deserves to know someone in their community sees them.
Each package includes: toothbrush & toothpaste, deodorant, hand sanitizer, granola bars, warm socks, lip balm, and a personal note.
Local · NJ & NYMany patients receiving free surgeries through our partner missionary group in South America come from communities where oral care and basic hygiene products are simply unaffordable. These patients have no way to access a toothbrush, toothpaste, or even hand soap on their own.
We provide them with hygiene kits so that alongside life-changing medical care, they also receive the basic dignity of clean teeth, fresh skin, and personal care — things they couldn't afford on their own.
Global · South AmericaEverything we give costs very little to buy — but means everything to receive. Our Amazon Wishlist lets you purchase items that go directly into care packages for homeless shelter residents or hygiene kits for surgical patients in South America who can't afford even the basics.
Think about it this way: a toothbrush costs $1. To you, it's a quick Amazon click. To someone who has never been able to afford one, it's something they've gone without for years.
Items ship directly to us and go straight into the hands of people who need them most. It takes 2 minutes and makes a real difference.
View Wishlist on Amazon →Replace this URL with your real Amazon Wishlist link.
Follow along as Zach packs, delivers, and grows this mission — one post at a time.
I've been thinking about this for a long time — and today it's real. Hands That Help is officially up and running. Two programs, one goal: bring care to people who need it most, locally and globally. Our first care packages are being assembled and our first batch of hygiene kits for South American surgery patients is coming together. Follow along — this is just the beginning.
Read more →First round of care packages almost packed — shelter delivery coming up soon!
Read more →Building out our first batch of oral care kits for patients of the missionary surgery team.
Read more →