Mardi Bras RVA (and surrounding areas, too!)

REVISED FEBRUARY 15 at 11pm

Due to the pending snowstorm, we are postponing Mardi Bras RVA for one week! We are doing our best to contact everyone and make new arrangements with our partners and volunteers. Please take advantage of this extra week to tell more friends and collect more products! Thanks a million! Also – help us by spreading the news and sharing this post >>  MARDI BRAS RVA >> PLAN B

For updates, you can…

• subscribe to this site by providing your email on the right column, 
• “like” our Facebook page at >> INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD FB PAGE, and/or
• check back often.

NEW DATES:

Monday, February 23rd from 5-8p

Tuesday, February 24th from 10a-12n

Stay safe and warm!  Remember our friends who are homeless during this frigid, snowy weather.

I want to send a huge THANK YOU!!! for all of you! The phone calls, texts, emails, etc. Your support is overwhelming and humbling. Your kind words have been so encouraging and life-giving. But, I can’t stress enough – this isn’t about me! This is about the call follow Jesus’s top greatest commandments – Love God. Love Neighbor.  And I am grateful for all of you who are choosing to love and serve in a practical, and EXTRAVAGANTLY and GENEROUS way. You rock!

Revised February 11, 2015 Thankful to Karla Redditte – NBC 12 for doing a segment on Mardi Bras RVA – you can watch the clip here >> NBC12 Interview and Video. Update on needs:  I spent the morning at the Richmond City Justice Center – RCJC (aka the city jail) and learned that a good number of folks who stay there have once been or will be homeless within a year of getting out. That’s due to LOTS of reasons. Let’s not be judgmental about that. They have needs too… but their needs are special.  We are called to serve and love the imprisoned.  Let’s love them well. Please take note: WHITE ONLY bras and underwear.  NO UNDERWIRE in the bras. Plus, they too need pads, tampons, etc. They do get some, but not as many as they really need. There are around 100 women in the RCJC right now (out of 1100 residents).  Let’s see what we can do to support these ladies. We are working on other opportunities where we can serve there. Stay tuned!

Revised February 5th: Thankful for new partners along with folks who are catering and baking! Big news coming next week! Stay Tuned!

REVISED JANUARY 28th: Based on what I am hearing and already receiving in deliveries…I know.. exciting, right??? Deliveries already!!! You all rock!!! NEED MORE PADS!! – both menstrual and incontinence pads and adult diapers. NEED LESS TAMPONS!! We have plenty coming in!  NEED NEW UNDERWEAR MORE THAN NEW BRAS!  And we really prefer NEW!

REVISED JANUARY 26: INFORMATION HAS BEEN UPDATED TO BETTER REFLECT THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY. PLEASE READ PURCHASING TIPS BELOW! WE ALSO ARE ADDING NEW RECIPIENTS OF THE PRODUCTS! THANKS TO THOSE YOU ARE ASSISTING WITH COLLECTIONS! I’VE HEARD OF HAIR SALONS, BANKS, CHURCHES, BIBLE STUDIES AND SMALL GROUPS, OFFICES, AND MORE! YOU GUYS ARE AH-MAZING! I’M OVERWHELMED!   FLYER TO POST IN YOUR PLACE OF WORK, CHURCH, ETC. >>    Be sure to include your information on the bottom if you are collecting for others. THANKS!  MARTI

How many pair of underwear do you have in your drawer right now? How many bras? When ‘that time of the month’ comes, do you wonder where you will obtain your supplies of pads or tampons? Sorry – if you are a guy and reading this, I dare you to ask your wife, daughter, sister, girlfriend, or mother these questions. I recently talked with a few women who used to be homeless and spent a lot of time on the street. They wondered about this every day… and every month. Supplies are NOT readily available for women who are homeless or on a low or restricted income. No – food stamps and other resources do NOT cover feminine protection. Then, I read this article…For Homeless Women, Getting Their Period Is One Of The Most Difficult Challenges which confirmed what I thought. It’s a problem that can be easily solved and we decided to do something about it.  So, here’s the deal. We are going to collect pads, tampons, new bras, new underwear and incontinence pads for women who are homeless or on low/restricted income! Keep reading! MARDI GRAS, where women bare their breasts for beads in New Orleans, is right around the corner. Instead of revealing our breasts, we are going to work at covering some! MARDI BRAS, where we are hosting 2 Open Houses to collect NEW bras, NEW underwear, pads, tampons, poise pads for homeless and low income families. It was also suggested to get menstrual cups, too, although we don’t need many of those! 2 OPEN HOUSE GATHERINGS: We are hosting 2 gatherings. This is a time for diverse people to come together to solve a common problem! Everyone is welcome to attend!

Monday Night        2/16       5-8pm              2/24    5-8pm

Tuesday Morning   2/17      10a-12noon     2/25   10a-12noon

LOCATION:

Miss Marti’s House, an urban ministry of Into The Neighborhood, Inc.                                        2101 Barton Avenue; Richmond, VA 23222

If you are on Facebook, join the FB Group >> https://www.facebook.com/groups/MardiBrasRVA/ If you can attend, please RSVP to the gathering you can attend here:

~ Monday Night, 2/16            5-8pm   FB Invite – https://www.facebook.com/events/752391614844746/

~ Tuesday Morning, 2/17      10a-12noon  FB Invite – https://www.facebook.com/events/300731026804393

If you able to bring a snack to share, that would be greatly appreciated, too! PURCHASING TIPS: We are collecting:

• Menstrual Pads and some tampons. Pads are needed more than tampons, please.
• Incontinence Pads and adult diapers.
• NEW Bras – of ALL sizes! Please remember larger sizes, too.
• NEW Women’s underwear – of ALL sizes! Please remember larger sizes, too.

I’ve learned the following from talking to some of our resources and friends!

• UPDATE:  After speaking to partner organizations, we learned that there is a need for PADS of all kinds – for mentstruation and incontinence, as well as adult diapers!
• Remember larger sized women for bras and undies! We need more of them than the smaller sizes!!!
• Without going into a lot of details, menstrual cups are not that successful for homeless women in the RVA area (because there are not many sanitary places for them to be used and it becomes dangerous/unclean.) Although many of the prostitutes can still use them because they can still conduct business. We just won’t need a lot of them.
• Check back often! We will update as we learn more! More to come!

CONTRIBUTIONS: If you want to make a contribution, make your check to Into The Neighborhood and include a note that says Mardi Bras RVA, and we will use the funds to provide the necessary products. Mail it to:

Into The Neighborhood  2101 Barton Ave Richmond, VA 23222

We are thankful for these gifts and contributions:  A real answer to prayer!!!

GFC Catering for catering both gatherings.

The Cake Lady – for supplying beautiful cakes for both gatherings!

OTHER NEEDS:

• Tell your friends, clubs, small groups, pastors, hair salons, etc.
• People who can help pack and deliver to supporting organizations.

ORGANIZATIONS WE ARE SUPPORTING: Check back often because we will update the list!

• CARITAS
• Housing Families First – Hilliard House and Building Neighbors
• Home Again/Espigh Shelter
• MCEF – Mechanicsville Churches Emergency Functions
• Daily Planet
• Help Somebody
• PICF Unique Resource Center
• Alpha and Omega Church
• Faith Landmarks Church
• Life Transformation Church, a missional micro-expression of the church network in RVA

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS INFORMATION: If you know of a place that could use these items, give them a call and let us know what they need, so that we can collect and distribute them. Send the following information to missmartishouse[at]me[dot]com.

• Organization Name
• Contact Name, Number, Email
• Women they support and how they support them.
• Supplies Needed
• Are you willing to attend one of the gatherings to share about the plight of women who are homeless in the Metro RVA area?

Thanks! Look forward to seeing you all!