On Saturday, November 14, members of the Oakland Location gathered inside the Parish Hall at Santa Maria Church in Orinda to build hygiene kits for the homeless and needy.

With assembly line precision, over 75 kits with essential items such as a face mask, hand sanitizer, toothbrush/toothpaste, soap, deodorant, razor, lip balm and socks were put together for our Location ministries --- St. Vincent de Paul and St. Mary's Center and also for the Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California.

These are items that so many of us take for granted, or we don't even think about, because we have easy access to them, but so many do not.

The Very Reverend George Mockel, Chaplain of the Order and Pastor of Santa Maria, rolled up his sleeves and worked alongside Knights and Dames. Other Oakland Location members were able to serve the needy by building individual hygiene kits at home. The necessary components were picked up or even dropped off by members so that everyone could be as safe as possible during these times of uncertainty. Once all of the hygiene kits were completed, members collaborated on safely delivering components and finished kits to the Location ministries.