RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond group distributed essential undergarments, period products and shoes to about 150 women experiencing homelessness and crisis during the 11th annual Mardi Bras event on Saturday.
The initiative hosted by the nonprofit Into the Neighborhood aims to restore dignity to vulnerable women by providing items often overlooked by traditional shelters.
This year, the organization partnered with the local recovery community and the nonprofit Shood to allow guests to select their own items, including fitted athletic shoes and new socks. Guests were also treated to lunch, donuts, an art project and music.
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Marti Williams, co-founder of Into the Neighborhood, said the event started 11 years ago after a friend with a history of homelessness asked her for feminine hygiene products.
"I said, 'What did you do when you were on the street?' And she goes, 'I just went without,'" Williams said.
Williams said she learned it was not unusual for women to walk into nonprofits to receive services with blood on their clothing. She decided to host a party to collect items and remove the shame surrounding the topic.
This year alone, the initiative collected over 1,200 bras and countless period products.
"Addiction as a whole, substance use disorder, often steals a lot. It steals dignity, it steals the light out of their lives. And so we are about bringing that fun back into it," Williams said.
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Kelly Pasternak, outreach coordinator for Shood, said her organization has handed out more than 36,000 pairs of repurposed running shoes in metro Richmond over the last eight years.
"I tell folks that it fills my cup as much as it maybe fills a need for someone that needs a pair of shoes," Pasternak said.
Organizers said the event is a unique way to celebrate the festive spirit of carnival while acting as a resource for those in need.
"It really helps bring dignity back and having fun and building community and building relationships with these women where we can be not just an event, but be a part of their lives on an ongoing basis," Williams said.
Click here to learn more about Into the Neighborhood or to make a donation.
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