There is nothing quite so thrilling as having multiple projects running at once. We have completed 2,400 kits (two pallets) for the Chad Humanitarian Response Project! These kits will be picked up from us in June and start their journey to the girls who need them. Our work for Nicaragua with Global Links last year has had a positive response too. We are thrilled that the Pittsburgh Chapter was able to connect the larger Days for Girls community with Global Links. So, along the kits needed for Chad, we prepared 3,000 kits for Nicaragua. All of the kits (5,400) have been packed and we are awaiting our shipping instructions from Days for Girls International.
We can safely have 7 people in the DFG room at church so our leadership and volunteers from other local DFG teams have been working in shifts to pack up the kits. We fostered these relationships over zoom meetings over the last year. It is wonderful to see our friends in person over the last month (Pittsburgh North, Oakdale, Valencia, Murrysville, and Grove City).
Recently, we met with Sydney Hardiman who is the Sewing Program Manager at East End Cooperative Ministires. Third Presbyterian Church is a founding congregation of EECM. Sydney came to visit our DfG room at Third Church so that we could learn more about each other and possibly partner in the future. While there wasn’t an obvious partnership for now, Sydney helped us envision what reopening to more volunteers could be like and we are hoping to implement some of those ideas this fall. Most of our volunteers have not worked with us in over a year. In order to get everyone back up to speed we will be offering classes to reteach skills. We are only in the planning stages now, but hope to offer a class or two this summer (or when we are able to have more people gathered together) so that we can be ready to welcome back our college volunteers in the fall.
If you missed previous articles these are links for the Early posts about Chad and Nicaragua and the previous Chad and Nicaragua Up-date. Here is the link for the May 2021 update.
Here are ways anyone can help us:
Make a monetary donation to The Pittsburgh Chapter or to Days for Girls International or purchase needed materials from amazon wish list or a JoAnn Fabric Gift Card, and arrange for a safe drop off. Wish list items can be shipped directly to Third Church. You can contact the Pittsburgh Chapter by emailing pittsburgh@daysforgirls.org too.
Like the Pittsburgh Chapter Facebook page to see updates on the projects.
Here are ways you can help if you are able to pick (and drop off) items up at Third Church:
Measure underwear (to help standardize the sizing in multiple brands) and roll it so that it can ship compactly in the kits. Underwear is ready for pick up at the church. Please take only what you think you can manage to finish and drop back off within a week.
Wash flannel with the fragrance-free dye-free detergent provided in each bag. This is an on-going part of the process so it’s ok if it takes a little longer to accomplish this task.
Here is a little shop talk for Days for Girls Teams and Chapters:
Daisies, you have been so generous! Thank you!!! The Pittsburgh Chapter will take late donations and whatever is not used for Chad or Nicaragua will be stored to use for the next group project.
We received more components than we needed for all of the kits and we have an abundance of shields and liners that are awaiting the next project. As soon as we know about the next one we will be sure to let you know. For now, we know that our most needed sewn components for the next project are the drawstring bag and the transport bag. We know that it is new for some teams and chapters but don’t forget to go to the leadership room and carefully read the sewing instructions as well as the heat-sealing instructions. Remember to test a sample of the transport bags you make to be sure they hold water (that is how we know that they are sealed properly).
You are welcome to ship underwear to us by using our amazon wish list. When you send it “as a gift” amazon lets you write a note. Please include your team or chapter name and email so that we can credit you for that donation. If you are sending us underwear you already have on hand, please use the Days for Girls panty sizing guide (found in the leadership room or in the Chapter Chat Facebook group). This guide helps us to have consistent sizing no matter which brand of underwear. This is incredibly helpful for our friends who will be distributing the kits and of course for the menstruators receiving them. Using this guide is a way you can help us that the general public can not. We appreciate your efforts.
THANK YOU!!!
Period Pastor Pad 