2023 Impact Report: How Your Donations Have Reduced Hygiene Poverty and Carbon Emissions

We want to thank everyone for an amazing 2023. I believe every year is a year that we can learn from our challenges and victories.

We continue to focus on what is most important to our organization, and that is helping individuals and families who are facing expected and unexpected challenges around the United States and the world through our Undie Power Program.

We are also committed to providing our youth with the necessary resources they need to feel good about themselves and focus on building a brighter future through our Everyone Deserves Underwear (E.D.U.) Program.

Social Impact

In 2023, 2,441 pounds of donations were given, a 75% increase from 2022. Your donations help us support organizations in AZ, CA, IN, IL, MN, and Sierra Leone, Africa.

We received donations from individuals and companies in 18 states (AZ, AL, CA, CO, FL, GA, IN, MI, NC, NJ, NH, NY, OH, OR, SC, TX, VA, WA). These donations could have ended up in landfills, but instead, they helped families in need, reduced our carbon footprint, and helped create job opportunities for people with disabilities.

Environmental Impact

The impact of delaying the dumping of usable textiles like underwear is important to our mission. Check out our 2023 Impact report to review the full impact that donations we received had on our environment. We are helping families in need worldwide, but our impact extends even further to help our planet.

Your donations had an equivalency to greenhouse gas emissions from 38,049 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle. (epa.gov)

2024 Focus

We are excited about 2024. Our Board and team look forward to increasing our donations to deserving organizations on the frontlines trying to reduce hygiene poverty within the United States and worldwide. Our top priorities are:

1. Increase monetary donations and grants by $25,000 to support our operations costs, particularly rent for warehouse space and cost to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to work with us on sorting donations.

2. Increase our support from 7 Title 1 schools to 12 Title 1 schools.

3. Increase total donations to other nonprofits by 30%. This equates to an increase of approximately 730 lbs for 3,171 lbs. That is equivalent to driving 89,453 miles in an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.

4. Support at least 20 non-profit organizations with the donation of new underwear, an increase of 33% from 2022. Our ability to meet this goal is driven by the number and quality of donations that we receive from individuals and partners.

5. 2-3 men’s underwear retail partners that can provide highly requested underwear for male teens and men for our Undie Power and Everyone Deserves Underwear Program.

6. Roll out of our annual Barbara J Birks Above and Beyond Appreciation Award that will honor school nurses and teachers that go above and beyond to provide a safe and supportive environment for our kids to learn.

Thank You for Being a Changemaker

Community is everything, and at the Undie Chest, we couldn’t be more grateful than our community of donors and supporters who, no matter how big or small a contribution, believe our cause is worth fighting for.

If we don’t invest in the welfare of our communities - whether that’s our schools, shelters, or transitional programs - the cycle of poverty will continue and spread until it’s too prevalent to ignore.

Your part in this journey is crucial for restoring dignity, fostering healthier communities, and reducing our environmental impact. We are so excited about what 2024 holds and thank you again for helping us make an impact in 2023.