CASE STUDY

written by ERIN LENTZ

IT STARTED WITH A BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF AND A STETHOSCOPE. WHEN REBECCA ROTHNEY, A LONGTIME SCHOOLTEACHER, COORDINATED A TRIP TO KENYA in 2008, she had an a-ha moment. As she corresponded with the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on her itinerary, the company mentioned they supported a nearby clinic and school. “So we asked them what supplies were needed,” Rothney says. “Their response? A blood pressure cuff and stethoscope. I thought it was a joke. How could a clinic not have these? I was inspired to action.”

Since its launch in 2010, Pack for a Purpose has taken over 414,469 pounds of supplies and essential needs to 55 (and counting) countries. As a person of action, Rothney believes small changes can produce huge impact, and after founding her global nonprofit she’s proved herself right. Working with international hotels and tour companies, Rothney created a simple yet impactful model for travelers who want to make a difference, simply by packing a suitcase.

The process? Simple: Travelers visit the Pack for a Purpose website, search for the region and country they are visiting, access the “Essential Needs” list, and then pack a recommended five pounds (travelers can pack more if desired). Needs lists are provided directly by the community-based projects that receive and use the supplies, enabling travelers to make informed decisions and only take items that meet the needs of those who will be using them. Once travelers arrive to their destination, they have directions on where and how to drop supplies off — simple, easy, and highly effective.

“I’m proud that everything is locally curated,” Rothney says. “The needs list comes from what’s really needed in the community, and changes as community needs change. One of our key messages in the beginning was that a stethoscope weighs less than a kilo but can touch 10,000 hearts. Today, an antibiotic cream prevents 30 kids from getting an infection from cuts and bruises from playing outside.”

Supplies may be simple, yet the reach is wide. Examples of community initiatives abroad include working with Dive Munda in the Solomon Islands, where the current essential needs list for Helena Goldie Hospital includes malaria testing kits and surgical Oxford handbooks. Guests staying at the Fairmont Mayakoba can help Playa Animal Rescue by simply packing chew toys and leashes, among other needs.

Traveler Susan Sachs Lipman took school supplies to children in Costa Rica. “The school visit turned out to be one of the most special and memorable experiences of our whole trip,” she says. One boy wasn’t in school that day because he had to share a pair of shoes with his brother — a reminder that supplying a simple pair of shoes can change a young child’s education.

“Growing up in the south, my mother always told me, if you’re going to visit somebody and accept their hospitality, you take a gift,” Rothney says. “You say thank you for the hospitality. Gratitude is at the heart of Pack for a Purpose, and when you are expressing this kind of gratitude it is also helping people who really need it.”

As a fun spin on today’s modern world of 5G networks, Rothney adds that the “4Gs” that make up Pack for a Purpose are gratitude, generosity, giving, and global impact.

“I believe in small effort, big impact,” Rothney adds. “We also don’t want travelers to Pack for a Purpose once and that’s it. My hope is it’s the beginning of a journey of conscious gratitude, in whichever way you choose to express it, whether abroad or at home. I haven’t had one person say, ‘I Packed for a Purpose and didn’t like it.’ My hope is this continues in perpetuity because there’s no reason it can’t.”

SMALL EFFORT. BIG IMPACT.

5 Easy Steps to Pack for a Purpose

• Visit packforapurpose.org and select your destination.

• Find an accommodation or tour company and a project it supports.

• Choose the supplies you wish to take from the specific items requested.

• Drop off the supplies at the accommodation or tour company.

• They will be delivered to the project. It’s that easy!