11/19/2023 0 Comments Kids in undies![]() ![]() “It can just be because it’s the right thing to do, and you want to help people feel good and be successful.” “In order to give, you don’t have to show pictures of everybody and make it a big deal,” Weiss said. The distributions are done anonymously Weiss and her team never meet the recipient. Weiss’ nonprofit partners with local Child Protective Services, Boys & Girls Clubs, and Pediatric Mobile Units and relies on them to distribute the underwear. ![]() “They wanted to know if we could help other communities.” “People were coming to volunteer when they heard about what we were doing,” Weiss said. The influx of underwear was a game changer for Weiss’s organization. I will just fast-forward and say we received 1.5 million pairs of underwear from around the world at my husband’s office.”ĬNN Hero Rabbi Amy Weiss Allie Torgan/CNN ![]() “And my computer started dinging like I had won I don’t know what … from a slot machine. “She posted a video and asked people to send underwear,” Weiss said. So we were anxious to help out.”Īuthor Brené Brown, Weiss’s neighbor and a supporter of her organization, stepped in as well. “It’s a sign of dignity for anyone who has lost everything … to have underwear makes you feel better, and it makes you feel a little normal. “There was literally no new underwear to give to these people,” Weiss said. She and her husband, Rabbi Kenny Weiss, lost their home but with support from friends and family in the Houston community, quickly pivoted to support those who had lost everything. I was holding my shorts up with a phone cord.” ![]() “The whole world turned upside down,” Weiss said. The disaster resulted in catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths, leaving people without food, shelter and clothing. Many kids are in transitional situations or living in poverty.īy 2017, as a one-woman operation, she had established relationships with about 30 schools and was on track to distribute more than 200,000 pairs of underwear in that year alone.īut in August 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas and Louisiana. You’d be surprised how exciting a pack of new underwear can be for our students.”įor years, Weiss ran underwear drives out of her home to serve children in Houston ISD, the largest public school system in Texas, where a majority of students are economically disadvantaged, according to the district. “It goes to the core of their self-esteem. “A pair of underwear seems like a simple thing, but for our students who don’t have it, or who have been moving around from place to place, or they left in the middle of the night due to a domestic situation, clean underwear is a big deal,” said Ilka Rosado, Manager/Foster Care Liaison for the Houston Independent School District. And for kids living in poverty, a dose of dignity can make a huge difference. Not having clean underwear can impact a child’s self-esteem, attitude and even school attendance. Many donations centers do not accept used underwear, so parents often throw out their children’s old pairs, which creates a gap for kids whose families rely on donated clothing. So, the parents who are struggling financially tend to think, ‘You can’t see the underwear, so it’ll be okay.’ “ “Underwear is just an overlooked item, and it’s super expensive. “Kids who are at risk need every kind of resource that their families cannot afford to get them,” Weiss said. Now a national program, it all started about 15 years ago when Weiss learned about the need from a social worker. And by the end of this year, Weiss said Undies for Everyone will have distributed nearly 5 million pairs to children and victims of natural disasters in 16 cities across the US. It’s her mission and her organization’s moniker. It’s not every day you meet a rabbi from Texas with a thing for underwear.īut Rabbi Amy Weiss is bringing something so simple, yet essential, to those in dire need: Undies. ![]()
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