Houston-based Non-Profit provides underwear to victims of recent hurricanes and wildfires
(HOUSTON, TX) – Undies for Everyone, a Houston-based non-profit that works to provide underserved students with new, clean underwear, has broadened its mission to serve those affected by natural disasters. In the wake of devastating hurricanes and recent wildfires, the non-profit has distributed nearly one million pairs of underwear to victims of Harvey, Irma, Maria and California wildfires. The non-profit will continue providing underwear to displaced victims of Harvey through 2018.
Undies for Everyone (UFE) typically provides underwear for disadvantaged students in order to keep kids in class and bullies at bay after an accident, as many children in low-income school districts don’t have the luxury of having a spare pair or a parent that’s able to leave work to bring them one. Aiming to enhance self-esteem, dignity, hygiene, and the success of school children, more than 70 percent of recipient schools rely solely on UFE for emergency underwear.
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, UFE shifted their focus to providing displaced children and adults with new, clean underwear, as this most basic need is seldom donated and often overlooked. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, donors and corporate partners including Soma Intimates, Victoria’s Secret, Fruit of the Loom, and Under Armor, UFE has been able to collect and distribute nearly one million pairs of underwear and raise nearly $1 million for those impacted by Harvey, Irma, Maria and California wildfires.
Recipient locations have included:
Texas: Houston, Victoria, Rockport, Port Arthur, Wharton and Beaumont
Florida: Immakolee, Orlando, and the Florida Keys
Caribbean: St. Martin, St. Thomas
Puerto Rico: Estimated delivery in Mid-November
California: Marin County
“We are gratified that people are recognizing the importance of providing new underwear to those in need,” said Rabbi Amy Weiss, Founder and Executive Director of Undies for Everyone UFE. “The recent disasters have brought attention to the importance of the most basic need and human dignity of having clean underwear. It is so often taken for granted until you lose everything or are forced to sit in a classroom of your peers after you’ve had an accident.”
Founded in 2012, UFE has distributed more than 500,000 pairs of underwear to Houston-area students and nurses and recently expanded to Dallas to serve DISD students. UFE is currently taking monetary and underwear donations for victims of Hurricane Maria and the California wildfires while continuing their work to meet the needs of Houston and Dallas students in underserved school districts.
To learn more about Undies for Everyone, donate or volunteer please visit www.undiesforeveryone.org.