HERMISTON – Village Antiques and Gifts is gathering hygiene kits to send to victims of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated south Asia last month.

The kits, which donors buy and assemble themselves, should be turned into the store by Jan. 21. They will be sent to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City and then shipped to the Indian Ocean region, said Janet Martin, manager of the health food store at Village Antiques.

The hygiene kits will be distributed one per family, Martin said.

She estimated the cost of the kits at about $6.

The idea came to donate toothbrushes and soap when Martin decided she wanted to do more than donate money.

“I just wanted to do something hands on,” she said.

All items should be new and delivered to Village Antiques unopened.

Hygiene kits should include in a heavy-duty, one-gallon plastic bag that can be sealed:

4 – toothbrushes

1 – tube of toothpaste (6-8 ounces, no pumps)

2 – bars of soap (4 -5 ounces)

2 – hand towels