Your bras are there for you when you need them. They help you feel confident in your LBD, support you through every yoga pose, and keep you comfortable during long workdays. But when those bras have outlived their usefulness for you, pass on the favor by donating them to women in need.
Bras are more than just an everyday essential; they also provide women with dignity and protection. You know the feeling when you realize you forgot to pack bras for your trip. Though it may seem like a temporary inconvenience to us, a significant number of women are without bras on a daily basis.
Bra donations and giving back to the community are integral parts of our mission. We’ve donated over 75,000 bras in 2018 alone, so we know firsthand what a difference this gift can make. Want to join us in supporting fellow women but unsure where to donate used bras? There may be an organization that accepts gently worn bras right in your neighborhood. Just be sure to wash them and ensure they aren’t falling apart before sending them off to their new owners. In the case that your bra can’t be worn again, there are several other organizations that are bra recyclers and utilize bra materials to do good.
Donating bras is easy, reduces waste, and helps support women everywhere. Added bonus? Many bra donation services will even send you a tax deduction receipt. Talk about a win-win. Read below to see where to donate bras — and what to do with old underwear!
I Support the Girls is a ThirdLove partner who collects and distributes new and gently worn bras and menstrual hygiene products around the world. The non-profit sends its donations to women and girls in homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, refugee settlement homes, foster care agencies, LGBTQ agencies, homes for pregnant teens, and more.
With 48 North American affiliates and four worldwide (Australia, Canada, Philippines, and Pakistan), I Support the Girls has helped over 180,000 women in the last three years. All new and used bras in good condition are accepted either at one of their donation sites or via mail.
Free the Girls has a slogan: When you donate a bra, you give someone a job. The organization works with services all around the world that rescue women and girls from sex trafficking, who can then start their own businesses selling donated bras. It’s a job that they can do while caring for their families and attending school, and one that allows them to be surrounded by other women.
Free the Girls accepts new and gently used bras of all sizes, styles, and types. They have relationships with dozens of businesses and churches around the U.S. that serve as drop-off points. If there isn’t one near you, you can also mail your bras directly to the organization. You can even send a note to the girls who receive the bras along with your donation.
Unfortunately, if your bra is heavily used and damaged, it can't be donated to programs like I Support the Girls or Free the Girls as they are looking for gently used bras in good condition. If you have an assortment of used bras that you need to donate and recycle, ThirdLove's Take Back Bag program offers an easy, sustainable way to keep these bras and undies out of landfills.
The process is simple: Just order a Take Back Bag, fill it up with old bras and underwear, and send it back. And, voila, not only have you kept the items out of landfills, but you also earn credit to use on your next bra purchase with ThirdLove.
The program will sort through the items you sent back: 74 percent are reused, 15 to 22 percent, which don’t qualify for reuse, go back to fiber recycling and 5 to 10 percent is true trash sent to a responsibly managed landfill. Each Take Back Bag saves 1596 gallons of water, 151 pounds of C02 emissions, and 15 pounds of fashion waste from landfills!
Donate Your Bra is a group that collects used bras and distributes them to breast cancer support groups, shelters and other charities that support women. The group is small but mighty: it’s run entirely by unpaid volunteers, so you know that you’re supporting women who are dedicated to doing good.
Because they’re small, Donate Your Bra only accepts donation by mail.
Want to be sure your used bras go to women in your community? Cut out the middle woman and bring them directly to women in need. Just one person can make a huge impact. One Maryland woman asked her friends and families to give her their used bras; within one year, she had distributed 20,000 bras to homeless women.
Contact local domestic violence shelters and homeless shelters to ask whether bra donations would be welcomed. You’ll likely hear a resounding “yes” from everyone. Women in these shelters often receive clothing donations, but few people think to donate bras.
Though donation guidelines vary by location, some may accept and sell clean, gently worn bras in their stores. Contact your local Goodwill to see if bras are an approved item are on their list.
And don’t stop at your own bedroom door! If you’re willing to donate your bras, chances are good that your relatives and friends would be willing to do the same. Post a message on social media asking for donations, then handle the collection and drop-off at a local shelter. Your old unmentionables could make a huge impact.
While used underwear donations are widely unaccepted (understandably), they don’t have to go to complete waste. Here are a couple options to consider:
With additional reporting by Emily Piskulick
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