United employees pitch in to assist migrant families

Numerous United Airlines employees briefly shifted from the business of transporting passengers to assembling thousands of kits with essential items for Chicago-area migrants Wednesday.

Timed to coincide with Earth Month, volunteers took unused products such as socks, eye masks, toothpaste, and hand sanitizer from United premium cabin stock and reassembled them as hygiene kits.

The project at O’Hare International Airport was coordinated with Good360, a nonprofit that connects corporate donations with people and communities in need.

The hygiene kits will be distributed to Chicago-based Instituto del Progreso Latino to assist local migrant families experiencing homelessness.

Customers also pitched in, forming an assembly line with staff to collect the supplies.

The airline began collaborating with Good360 in 2016. In 2023, United provided 115,000 hygiene kits to individuals.

“Upcycling United goods reduces waste and furthers the life cycle of such products,” airline officials said. “These events reduce our waste and provide hygiene access to those who need it.”

Good360 was developed by the United Way in 1983 after receiving a $12 million donation of office furniture from 3M. The company partners with corporations from Gap to Advance Auto Parts to distribute donations including clothing and safety gear to help with crises in the U.S. and globally.