Participation is easy!

Five steps:

1. Select your destination.
2. Find an accommodation or tour company and a project it supports.
3. Choose the supplies you wish to take from the specific items requested.
4. Drop off the supplies at the accommodation or tour company.
5. The supplies will then be delivered to the community-based project.

All travelers can participate.

If you are not staying at a Pack for a Purpose participant accommodation or booked with a tour operator participant, please use the destination page to locate an accommodation/tour operator that will be convenient for a supply drop off on your trip.

It is your responsibility to connect with the participating accommodation/tour operator if you have questions about supplies, drop-off or the possibility of booking a tour of the community project (non-profit) they are supporting.

If you have large group that will be taking more than 50 lbs or 25 kgs of supplies, contact the accommodation/tour operator to see if they can plan to pick-up the supplies where you are staying. But remember, logistics can be complicated, so it is best to deliver the supplies yourself.

Pack for a Purpose is set-up for you to deliver the supplies directly to the accommodation or tour company you have selected.

This is necessary because we ensure transparency from our accommodations and tour companies by requiring them to report back to us annually with the weight of the supplies received from travelers.

We also want to ensure the supplies are delivered at a convenient time and without disruption to the community projects (non-profits). Many of which are orphanages and schools that have schedules and security requirements to protect the children and staff.

If you want to visit the community project you are giving to, you must go directly through the accommodation/tour operator office staff. They will determine on a local level whether they can accommodate your request.

Pack for a Purpose supports accommodations/tour operators who wish to provide “Buy Local” information if applicable. This information will be found on each participant’s destination page. If the participant you are taking supplies for does not have that information, we recommend you contact them directly to see what is possible.

It is not our mission to arrange to ship supplies to destinations. Additionally, there is no guarantee that shipped supplies will reach the intended project.

Visiting a local school can only be arranged by directly contacting the accommodation or tour company working with the school. Having the school day interrupted by unannounced guests, even those with the best intentions, can be very disruptive.

While sometimes having a guest speaker at a school is a wonderful opportunity for students, prearranging this is a must.

Pack for a Purpose cares about any negative impact a visit could make to children. The accommodation or tour company will know what is allowed and best for the children and staff of schools and orphanages.

Please remember your generosity is not diminished because you do not interact with the children directly.

No!

While we recommend 5 lbs (2.27 kgs), travelers can take whatever they can handle.