Underwear, hygiene products biggest need in annual Mardi-Bras fundraiser for women in poverty

Helping women in need in Spokane this spring is simple with a handful of locations to drop off hygiene products for the annual Mardi Bras fundraiser.

Volunteers of America, which runs Hope House, a women’s shelter, and Transitions put on the fundraiser and donation drive each year to collect bras, underwear, socks and hygiene products for women in area shelters.

The biggest needs this year are underwear, deodorant and razors, Rae-Lynn Barden, marketing and communications director at VOA, said as she set up a Mardi Bras donation box at the YMCA Wednesday.

“A lot of people don’t think about how quickly you go through deodorant,” Barden said.

Razors, too, need to be replaced frequently, she added. Tampons and pads are also in high demand among woman at area shelters.

Items donated during the annual drive are stored and distributed not only to women in area shelters but through Spokane Public Schools and other area school districts, Barden said.

Typically, they get a lot of donations in the middle of the standard size range; items on the extreme ends are less common and also less needed, she said. Sports bras are also in high demand, she said.

New bras are preferred, but gently used ones also will be accepted.

Last year, Mardi Bras, which runs through March 1, garnered 1,737 bras, 2,124 pairs of underwear, 11,900 tampons, 10,815 pads and 1,338 pairs of socks.

Barden said they hope to collect the same amount or more this year.

Donors can drop off items at a handful of locations listed on Transitions’ website anytime this month. There’s a dropoff event at Hope House from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 1.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to indicate that Transitions is an independent program.