Volunteers from throughout Santa Barbara County, including employees from Allergan Inc. and Horny Toad, gathered Thursday at Direct Relief International’s warehouse in Goleta to assemble 3,000 personal care packs for local families and people in need.

The packs were distributed Thursday night and Friday.

Direct Relief’s personal care packs contain basic hygiene items such as lotion, soap, shampoo, tooth brushes, toothpaste, razors, basic first aid supplies and other assorted toiletries. Products were donated by Chattem Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Nisim International, Sappo Hill Soapworks and Zenpuse.

A Direct Relief tradition for the past 18 years, personal care packs are assembled by volunteers and distributed twice a year, during the summer months and the holiday season, with the goal of assembling 3,000 packs each season for individuals living in Santa Barbara County. On Thursday, volunteers assembled 2,000 family packs and 1,000 men’s packs. In total, the packs from both the August and December packing days help an estimated 22,000 people annually. With an average value of $30 a pack, the total yearly support is more than $800,000.

“Especially as the economic crisis continues to impact local families, our holiday packs are a direct way we can help local citizens in need with personal care essentials,” said Thomas Tighe, president and CEO of Relief International. “We are grateful to our community and all of our volunteers who make health and safety here at home a priority now and throughout the year.”

The packs are delivered to families through more than 30 social service agencies throughout Santa Barbara County, including American Indian Health & Services, Casa Esperanza, Catholic Charities, Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara, Guadalupe Senior Center, Healthy Start Franklin School, Healthy Start Adams, Healthy Start Carpinteria, Healthy Start Cleveland, Healthy Start Guadalupe, Healthy Start Harding, Healthy Start Lompoc, Healthy Start McKinley, Healthy Start New Cuyama, Healthy Start Santa Maria, Isla Vista School, Isla Vista Youth Projects, Jessie Hopkins Hinchee Foundation, Life Network, Migrant Education Program, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Parish Nursing, Project Recovery, St. Vincent’s Santa Barbara, Salvation Army Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County Public Health, Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics, Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Santa Barbara Street Medicine, Transition House and WillBridge of Santa Barbara.

Other local Direct Relief programs include Healthy Smiles, a program that improves the oral health of low-income, uninsured and at-risk children and families in the Santa Barbara County community in collaboration with more than 30 private and public agencies; Direct Relief USA, the largest and only nonprofit program providing free donated prescription medicines and supplies for low-income and uninsured patients of safety-net community health centers in all 50 states, including California and specifically throughout Santa Barbara County; and Direct Relief’s support of the Santa Barbara County Medical Reserve Corps with a donation of 90 customized backpacks stocked with medical supplies and equipment to outfit all volunteer medical professionals of the Santa Barbara County MRC.

— Marjorie Wass is a publicist.