Kim Machi deals with nearly half a million products as health, beauty and wellness manager for Giant Eagle Market District in Settlers Ridge in Robinson.

But she hadn’t seen anything like the 21-foot-tall, 2,500-pound bottle of soap at the store Wednesday.

It was made by Soapbox, a company that donates hygiene products — hand, hair and bath and beauty — to charities across the country and around the world.

“This is so cool,” said Machi, as she stood outside holding a miniature version of the larger bottle, one of 16 Soapbox products sold in Giant Eagle. “Anytime a product we carry gives back, I am all about it. What Soapbox does is near and dear to my heart.”

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review Kim Machi, health, beauty and wellness manager for Giant Eagle Market District in Settler’s Ridge in Robinson, holds a small bottle of Soapbox soap in front of the 21-foot bottle on Wednesday, Aug. 4.  

The world’s biggest bottle of soap has been on a 16-city “Soapbox Giving Tour” with Pittsburgh as the final stop.

The goal has been to raise awareness for the importance of hand hygiene — especially now that covid-19 rates are on the rise with the delta variant — and to donate soap and hygiene products to local charities.

Soapbox operates on a buy-one-give-one model: For every product it sells, it donates a bar of soap to someone in need.

Soapbox has donated more than 20 million bars of soap worldwide.

Along the way, Soapbox has been donating to local charities such as Northside Common Ministries and the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth and Families.

“It’s all about bringing awareness about the importance of hygiene,” said David Simnick, CEO of Soapbox, an Illinois native whose company is headquartered in Washington, D.C. “When you are a small business, you have to do something a little different than the bigger companies.”

Shoppers were treated to samples and the opportunity to have their photo taken in front of the big bottle.

“I love this,” said Sharon Davis of Green Tree as she wheeled her grocery cart out of the store. “It’s awesome. I got some samples, so I am going to try their products.”

As a small brand, Simnick wants to make a big difference. He discovered food stamps don’t cover hygiene products. Having a bar of soap and clean water can help guard against diseases and other illnesses, he said.

Simnick said it’s about empowering consumers to buy the products. It’s their money that helps someone else.

Each Soapbox product has a “Hope Code,” which can be entered through the company’s website to find out the specific project your purchase benefited.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review A 21-foot-tall bottle of soap by Soapbox arrives on its side on Wednesday, Aug. 4 outside the Giant Eagle Market District at Settler’s Ridge in Robinson.  

Helping others is why 15 volunteers from Beverly’s Birthdays, a North Huntingdon-based nonprofit that provides birthday parties to homeless children, came by to assist with packing hygiene kits for kids in need.

“Beverly’s Birthdays is an organization that spreads cheer to kids displaced in foster care,” said program team member Betsy Backus. “We wanted to help get the word out about Soapbox.”

Beverly’s Birthdays was connected to the event through Comfort Cases, an organization in Maryland dedicated to providing hope and dignity to youth in foster care.

“It’s about bringing hope and dignity to children in foster care during this tour,” said David Thalberg, communications and public relations director for Comfort Cases of the partnership with Soapbox. “It is so import when foster children go from home to home that they have something that is their own, which includes a bar of soap and other hygiene products.”

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