GOOD NEWS

Why There Was a 21-Foot tall, 2,500-Pound Bottle of Soap in Times Square

NBC Universal, Inc.

Something big bubbled up in Times Square on Thursday and has folks all lathered up, in a good way.

The hard-to-miss bottle of soap — standing in at 21 feet tall, weighing 2,500 pounds and more than eight feet in diameter — was a dream come true, six years in the making. The spectacle (even for Times Square standards) was so big that it could even be spotted on some of NBC New York's sky cameras.

It belongs to Soap Box, and the message in this bottle? Taking care of yourself, and those in need — the perfect message on what happens to be National Clean Beauty Day and National Give Something Away Day.

The company said that part of their goal was to get people to continue washing their hands, even if masks are going away more and more. But there were more sobering reasons behind the display as well.

"There are Americans who don't have access to proper hygiene because food assistance programs or food stamps programs don't cover hygiene products. That's why organizations like Soap Box exist: We believe that access to hygiene should be for all," said Soap Box CEO David Simnick.

The other part of their mission is really special. Soap Box is donating nearly 148,000 personal care products to homeless shelters and foster children. A nonprofit in NYC, Hearts of Gold, is helping 2,500 boxes for mothers and children in need.

"Providing our families with the simplest of hygiene products so they can practice good hygiene skills and stay healthy, just like the rest of us," said Allison Hayden of Hearts of Gold.

Soap Box has already set two world records: the most hygiene products donated in 24 hours, and the most hygiene products donated in a week.

It will be wash, rinse and repeat over the next two weeks for the larger-than-life bottle, which will visit 15 other cities across the country where people will continue to assemble and donate hygiene kits. It heads to Boston on Friday.

And no matter what type of soap is used, the message is the same: "Please keep washing your hands. It's good for you, it's good for your family, it's good for public health," Simnick said.

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