Chatham Township resident Karen Swartz attended a meeting of the Kiwanis Club of the Chathams in June, as she does most weeks. What she heard at this particular meeting, though, struck a chord.

The speaker at that June 21 meeting was Laurie Litt-Robbins, the CEO of New Jersey AIDS Services. Litt-Robins works with The Eric Johnson House in Morristown providing care and support to some of the approximately 1,100 Morris County residents suffering from HIV and AIDS.

According to Swartz, Litt-Robbins told the Kiwanis Club about the challenges The Eric Johnson House faces today, including depleted donations of even the most basic household and personal items.

"She said, 'These people arrive in our facilities with the shirts on their backs," Swartz said. "All these shelters all have the same challenges. ... They all want to have the doors open for the people who need us ... but now someone has to help these people."

That's when Swartz had an idea of how she could help.

"We're all going from top-of-the-line hotels to bottom-of-the-line motor inns, and they all give you complimentary toiletries. ... How about if every time we go to a motel, we just scoop these things off the top of the toilet and donate them?"

The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Soon, Swartz said, she thought of more than just her own collection of hotel toiletries. She wanted other residents of Chatham to donate, too.

"I thought, if I could fill up one of those big Rubbermaid tubs, and bring it up to the Eric Johnson House, that could tide them over," she said.

The Rubbermaid bins Swartz refers to hold 19 gallons. "I don't even know how much [that] would weigh," Swartz said.

Swartz said she will collect donations from the Kiwanis Club, other professional and social organizations she participates in, and from any individuals in the area willing to donate. She encourages anyone with items to donate to contact her directly.

The people in The Eric Johnson House, Swartz said, "are living on the edge of dignity and the lack thereof. ... They definitely aren't coming in with a toiletry kit. Some of these people don't even have disposable razors. ... This kind of thing is something you can give, and it doesn't even cost you anything."

Among the programs offered at The Eric Johnson House are transitional housing for up to 10 homeless individuals for up to 24 months, transitional services for those who find their own housing, community mental health and substance abuse counseling and transportation, food pantry or laundry assistance.

Swartz will collect unused toiletries until Sept. 16. Those wishing to donate items can contact her by telephone at (201) 315-6672 or via email at karen_swartz@nepcusa.com.