130 dB personal alarm
Pin-pull activation, because buttons fail when your hands shake. Loud enough to be heard down a block and through a car window. Battery lasts a year in standby.
Most-requested item, three quarters running.
The Lantern Kit
Everything in it has to work at 3 a.m., in the rain, with cold hands.
That single design rule decided every item in this kit. Here is exactly what's inside, why it's there, what it costs us, and who can receive it.
What's inside
Nine items. Every one of them earned its place.
People told us what they needed. We removed everything else.
Rechargeable LED flashlight
USB-C, 8-hour runtime on low, holds a charge for weeks. No batteries to buy, because "you'll need AAAs" is the same as "this will stop working."
Includes a red night mode that preserves dark adaptation.
Defensive keychain set
A hardened window-break tip, a quick-release ring so a grabbed bag doesn't become a grabbed person, and a metal whistle that works when a battery doesn't.
Included nationwide. No permit required in any state.
Defense spray (where legal)
Adults only, on request only, with a hands-on safety briefing and a printed instruction card covering wind, distance, and what to do afterward.
Hygiene & first aid pouch
Period care, wipes, adhesive bandages, blister pads, antiseptic, foot powder, lip balm, and a pair of clean cotton socks. Socks are requested more than almost anything.
Laminated local resource card
Shelters, showers, free meals, clinics, legal aid, DV advocates, and 24/7 crisis lines — for that specific neighborhood, updated quarterly, waterproof.
Printed in English and Spanish on opposite faces.
Power bank
A charged phone is a lifeline, a map, an alarm, and a witness. Included in every kit where supply allows, and always in youth and women's kits.
Reflective band
A slap-band worn on the arm or ankle. Being visible to a driver at 2 a.m. is a safety intervention that costs under a dollar.
Weatherproof carry pouch
Neutral colors, no logos. A bag that announces "this person received charity" is a bag that makes someone a target. The pouch is deliberately unbranded.
Variants
Four builds, one standard of care.
| Item | Standard | Women's | Youth | Bulk pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 dB personal alarm | Yes | Yes | Yes | 25× |
| Rechargeable flashlight | Yes | Yes | Yes | 25× |
| Defensive keychain & whistle | Yes | Yes | Whistle only | 25× |
| Defense spray | Where legal, on request | Where legal, on request | No — never | By arrangement |
| Period care | On request | Always included | Always included | Yes |
| Power bank | Where supply allows | Always | Always | Optional |
| Resource card | Local | Local + DV advocates | Youth-specific | Local |
| School supplies | — | — | Yes | — |
| Cost to us | $40 | $46 | $44 | $925 |
Cost figures are our build cost per kit at current bulk pricing. Recipients pay nothing, ever.
The part we take most seriously
Our defense spray policy.
Handing someone a defensive tool is a serious act with real consequences, and we are not casual about it. Here is exactly how we handle it.
Where the law allows it
Defense spray laws vary by state and often by city, covering allowed formulation and concentration, canister size, minimum age, whether a permit is required, and where it may be carried — including bans on school grounds, courthouses, federal buildings, and aircraft. We maintain a jurisdiction checklist for every route we operate, and we do not include spray where it is not lawful for the recipient to carry. In those places, kits go out with alarms, lights, whistles, and reflective bands instead, and we say so plainly rather than quietly substituting.
Adults only, on request only
Spray is never included in a youth kit and is never given to anyone under the legal age in that jurisdiction. It is never added by default — a person has to ask for it. Anyone can decline it and still receive the full kit.
Briefing before handoff
Every spray comes with a hands-on briefing and a printed card covering: how to hold it, wind direction, effective distance, what happens after you use it, how to decontaminate, and the fact that using it will not always end a situation. We also cover the legal reality that self-defense law varies and that using a defensive tool can have consequences.
De-escalation first
Our training is unambiguous: the best outcome is not being there. Leave, make noise, get to a lit and populated place. The alarm comes before the spray in every scenario we teach, and the spray is a last resort.
This page is not legal advice. Laws change, and they differ by city as well as by state. Check your own jurisdiction's current rules before carrying any defensive tool. See our full Safety & Legal notice.
Design principles
Five rules that decide what goes in.
- No consumables that create dependence. If it needs a battery you can't buy, a subscription, or a charger you don't own, it isn't a safety tool — it's a countdown.
- Nothing that marks the carrier. No logos, no charity branding, no bright "donated" colors. Visibility should be a choice, not a label.
- Works with one hand. People are carrying bags, holding dogs, managing pain, and moving fast.
- Survives weather. Anything paper is laminated. Anything electronic is at least splash-rated. Anything fabric dries fast.
- Replaceable, freely. Things get lost, stolen, confiscated in sweeps, and soaked. Replacement is free and requires no explanation, because the alternative is people rationing their own safety.
Getting one
Kits are free. Always. To anyone.
There is no eligibility test, no ID requirement, no proof of need, and no intake form standing between a person and a flashlight.
- Ask any outreach volunteer on a route
- Request one online for yourself or someone you know
- Pick one up at a partner shelter, clinic, library, or drop-in center
- Organizations can request bulk packs of 25
For outreach workers
Bulk packs for organizations
Shelters, street medicine teams, school counselors, libraries, DV advocates, and clinics can request 25-kit bulk packs at no cost, with resource cards customized to your neighborhood.
- No cost, no reporting burden
- Cards printed with your local referrals
- Restock on a standing schedule
- Optional 30-minute staff briefing