Mardi Bras
Forget Mardi Gras,This Year It's Mardi Bras!
Mardi Bras is a campaign to collect feminine hygiene products for the women and girls who are staying in the Volunteer of America’s family shelters.
Volunteer of America’s family shelters serve more than 400 women and girls each year. The women come to the shelter with very little, often just the clothes they are wearing and focused more on the needs of their children then on themselves.
Although we are still holding Mardi Bras in 2019, this year will be a bit different. We find ourselves with a higher need for feminine hygiene products than undergarments and this will be our focus for the campaign in 2019. These products are rarely donated, expensive for shelters to replenish and not covered by food stamps. There is a certain level of awkwardness associated with requesting these necessary items. Mardi Bras collections remove the stigma and help provide women experiencing poverty or homelessness with these essential items. Every woman deserves to feel good about themselves!
In 2018 we collected 176 bras, 222 pairs of underwear and 2,677 feminine hygiene products! Thank you to all who participated!
If you are interested in holding a Mardi Bras event or learning how you can help please call us at 585-402-7204 or email info@voaupny.org.