Total underwear collected is 2,405,084

Thank you for sending us a pantastic 1,551 parcels in July.

This month we’re celebrating 15 years of Smalls for All! What began as a one-off collection of underwear for an orphanage in Ethiopia has grown into something I could never have imagined. Fifteen years on, Smalls for All has distributed more than 2.3 million items of underwear helping people in both Africa and the UK. I’m incredibly proud to be part of a team that’s committed to giving dignity to those in need. At the same time, I wish there wasn’t such a need for what we do. Sadly, times remain extremely difficult for many, and the number of requests we receive continues to rise. That’s why I want to say a heartfelt thank you to you – our amazing friends and supporters – for standing by us year after year. Your kindness and generosity make all the difference, and together we’re helping restore dignity to as many people as we possibly can.

We had a target to reach 5,515 packs of pants donated through our buy-to-give wish list to celebrate our birthday and we achieved 5,754! Thank you to everyone who helped us reach our target. This equates to 23,016 pairs of pants. Donating this way really helps us because it means we can get exactly what we need, plus it’s a quick and easy way for people to support us.

Since our last Talking Pants, we’ve provided new pants and new & gently worn bras to 11 organisations:

• 701 pairs of pants to Too Little Children/The Pad Project. Too Little Children founded and runs a children’s home in Maseno, Kenya, and distributes hygiene kits to high schools and women’s groups in the local area.
• 382 pairs of pants and bras to SATEDA, a specialist domestic abuse charity for women and children in Kent.
• 348 pairs of pants to NNLS, a charity running a monthly drop in centre in London.
• 116 pairs of pants and bras to Educate the Kids, a singing group consisting of 24 children called the Singing Children of Africa.
• 512 pairs of pants to the Little Green Sock Project, a charity working to alleviate poverty in Trafford by providing free clothing and essentials to families in crisis.
• 1,270 pairs to Freedom4 Girls, a period poverty charity that makes dignity kits for girls in Kenya, and also supports schools in the Leeds area.
• 350 pairs of pants to Thread Ahead, a charity providing clothing and essentials to people in need in London.
• 50 pairs of pants to SMART CJS, a charity providing support to the homeless, and those at risk of being homeless or living in temporary accommodation.
• 570 pairs of pants to the Ten Little Toes Baby Bank, a charity providing essentials to families and their children who are experiencing hardship or family crisis.
• 16,800 pairs of pants and bras heading for Silima in Zimbabwe.
• 430 pairs of pants to Diamonds in the Community, a charity working in the Monklands and Greater North Lanarkshire area.

We were delighted to hear recently from ShareGift that we were to receive a grant from them of a pantastic £5,000!

ShareGift is an independent UK registered charity which accepts donations of small shareholdings that would cost more for people to sell than they’re worth. A great option for getting rid of shares that are uneconomic to sell (although they accept donations of larger shareholdings too).

ShareGift works by collecting together small lots of shares until there are enough to sell, and then donating the proceeds to a wide range of charities. They make their grants based on a variety of factors including the suggestions of their donors. So, our supporters can help us indirectly by donating any size of shareholdings they may have to ShareGift, and mentioning Smalls for All!

Huge thanks to ShareGift for this pantastic and most unexpected grant, which will help us to help even more people in need by providing them with the dignity of underwear. We’ll be sharing this information on our website and social media, and hope we’ll get lucky again in the future!

As always, thank you all for supporting Smalls,
Maria

P.S.
If you’d like to donate, you can do so here: https://www.smallsforall.org/get-involved/donate-money/
Or
Donate pants the easy way: https://www.smallsforall.org/buy-to-give/