On behalf of the Pennsylvania Collection Point, we extend our deepest gratitude to every volunteer and donor who has supported this important work. Your generosity, time, and compassion have made a meaningful impact, helping us reach more girls and women with dignity, health, education, and opportunity. Each contribution, whether through donations, assembling kits, or spreading awareness, has played a vital role in advancing the mission of Days for Girls.
As we look ahead to the transitions within DfGI, we are excited to share that our Pennsylvania Collection Point volunteers will be joining sewing teams in Pennsylvania to continue contributing directly to the creation of life-changing kits. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Together, we are making a lasting difference for Every Girl, Everywhere, Period.
The restructuring decision that closed the PA Collection Point is in the official DfGI announcement below.
This announcement from Days for Girls International:
Hello Chapters and Teams,
Before anything else, we want to take a moment to express how grateful we are for each of you and your Team members. The time, care, and dedication you pour into every component makes a real and lasting difference in the lives of girls and women around the world. Thank you.
We’re reaching out today with an important update on how DfGI is handling component collection and DfG Kit assembly here in the US, and what that means for you.
Over the years, DfGI has been thoughtfully evaluating what makes our Collection Points run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. As part of that ongoing commitment to improvement, we’re transitioning from three Collection Points to two centralized warehouse locations: one in Utah and one in Missouri. At each of these warehouses, components will be received, quality checked, and assembled into DfG Kits for distribution to girls and women around the world.
We’re confident this new structure will strengthen the entire process, from the work happening at your tables to the moment a Kit reaches someone who needs it.
So, what does this mean for you right now?
As we work through the PA Collection Point transition, we’re asking your Chapter or Team to please hold onto your completed components for the time being. We know that’s not always easy when you have work ready to go, and we truly appreciate your patience. More specific guidance on next steps is coming soon.
If holding components isn’t feasible for your group, please reply to this email and we will work through this together. We want you to do whatever works best for your group. Once the details of the new process are finalized, we’ll follow up with clear instructions so you know where and how to send your components going forward.
We’re committed to keeping you informed throughout this transition and are grateful for your flexibility and trust as we make these changes. We believe this new direction will serve our mission, our volunteers, and the communities we reach in a meaningful way.
If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out at chapters@daysforgirls.org. We’re happy to help.
With gratitude,
Katy and Nichole
Personal note:
My heart is so full as I’m writing this part of the post. So many DfG teams, volunteers, and supporters have reached out to check on me when they heard about this transition. Who knew I gave my cell phone number out to so many kind people!?! Below I’m going to attempt to answer some frequently asked questions about my involvement with DfG and what I’m doing now. I also want to emphasize that while the collection point is closed, the Grove City team will still occupy the space we shared and continue to contribute DfG components and kits to the community and DfGI.
I plan to continue volunteering with DfG Grove City Team and I’m looking forward to having less responsibility for the big international projects and focusing my efforts on local kit distributions and advocacy efforts.
I first learned about DfG in 2014 when I began work at Third Presbyterian Church. We started the Pittsburgh team in 2015, and in 2018 became a collection point. The Pittsburgh Sewing team and Collection Point moved to First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh in December of 2022. While we were grateful for FUMC for the space, it was quickly clear it wouldn’t work long term for the Collection Point. In the summer of 2024, the Pittsburgh Sewing team and Collection Point divided and the Sewing team remains at FUMC. The Collection Point moved to Grove City and began sharing a building with the Grove City team (the Grove City team moved into the building in the spring). Some collection point volunteers commuted to Grove City and were joined by members of the Grove City sewing team to form a new collection point team. At the end of February 2026, we were informed that DfG would be restructuring and our collection point would be closed. In March, we packed our remaining components and shipped them to the Missouri Collection Point. Thanks to Mike Whalen and the Mercer County Career Center Students for assembling and shipping our pallets.
I am grateful to all of our community partners who have given us free space to house the sewing teams and collection point: Third Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church, and George Junior Republic.
While I was working at Third Church, the DfG team was considered part of my job. My focus there was mission/service and outreach to the community, and DfG was a great way for me to meet neighbors who were looking for community service opportunities. Since parting ways with Third Church, I no longer have steady income nor do I receive payment for my work with DfG. I have taken part-time, temporary, and project based work that allows me to continue volunteering with DfG. I’m currently writing/project managing for the Presbyterian Outlook (you’ll see my work coming up with our GA resources and Advent devotional). I’m also filling pulpit supply (think substitute teaching for pastors) for churches in the Pittsburgh area. Working “gigs” has allowed me to continue to volunteer, to travel, and to build a life I love.
While things were in flux, I didn’t want to put out our February Collection Point update. I also wanted to give the local PA team leaders time to tell their volunteers about the changes before I posted on my blog and social media. The Grove City especially will face some big decisions and changes as we had planned to do some events together this spring. Those events will no longer include packing kits for palleted orders like we originally planned, so we will have to get creative (and busy prepping sewing/pinning/ironing) to keep our event volunteers busy.
I plan to continue to document my DfG volunteering and hope to put out monthly updates in the future.
Below is a portion of the email that went out to the Grove City DfG team volunteers (I cut out the parts about volunteer schedules etc. that won’t mean much to anyone outside of the team). Ruth and Mary have been thoughtful and kind as they communicate with the team with community volunteers. As many volunteers as could be were informed in person and then this email was sent out on March 11th.
Dear Volunteers,
Over the past year, the DFG International Board of Directors has given the administrative employees at the DFGI main office guidance to increase kit distributions and at the same time reduce the operational footprint such as shipping costs. Because most of the components for international shipping and disaster relief are contributed from U.S. teams that are closer to the Utah or Missouri Collection Points, the decision was made to shut down the PA Collection Point. At the same time a Collection Point in Canada was opened to serve the large number of Canadian teams. A system of drop sites for East Coast teams is under development where Amazon or UPS would pick up packages, so that teams don’t have a big shipping expense when they want to send components to the Missouri and Utah Collection Points.
We want to thank all of the PA Collection Point volunteers who have served over the last 8 years. Karie Charlton is the only manager of the 3 Collection Points who has continuously served since the inception of CPs in 2018, and we are grateful for her and for all of the volunteers who served with her so faithfully to see that disaster relief and international shipments originating in PA could happen.
This change has absolutely no effect on our DfG Grove City PA team or our community partners. The GC Team and the Collection Point shared a building, but our leadership, finances, focus, and management of our separate volunteer corps have always been independent from one another. The Collection Point volunteers, many of whom came from our team, will be reabsorbed back into our team and volunteers who have been traveling from Pittsburgh on Collection Point workdays will continue to do that, working with our Team instead of checking components.
With less responsibility to support the Collection Point, our Team will increase local distributions and partnerships with local agencies. We have had a number of potential community distribution partners come forward within the last month or so. The Grove City team has always been included in planning and carrying out the large work/service days arranged at our site and those service days will continue uninterrupted. We will continue to schedule new service projects.
We have developed new relationships with mission groups traveling to other countries. Our team will send kits with them, and will continue to support the large international and disaster relief efforts by sending sewn components to Utah and Missouri via one of the new drop sites. If a group that schedules service days with us has an interest in or requirement to volunteer with an international non-profit, Days for Girls Grove City will still be filling that niche.
If you hear ‘Days for Girls is closing’, we want to be clear that that is absolutely not the case. Our DfG Grove City team is expanding and finding more opportunities to serve.
The vacated space in our building will be used to organize our increased local kit distributions, as well as the kit components we’ll send to other collection point for international and disaster relief.
We are grateful for everything you do,
Ruth and Mary
Project Updates:
February 2026: We finally caught a break in the weather and all three pallets were sent to World Vision and the pallet of XL kits were sent to Cuba!
January 2026 Collection Point Update
The collection point meets on Thursdays and in December, Christmas and New Year’s holidays were on Thursdays so our meetings were cut short. We also did not have a Saturday event in December so that our team had the weekend to spend with families. When we gathered again in January there were lots of packages to open: underwear, packing tape and sharpies, components, and even a few holiday cards and thank you notes. It was a great way to start the new year!
135 kits were sent with the Grove City Alliance Church to be distributed in Mexico in early January.
The last pallet (1242 kits) for the World Vision Project was completed and we had hoped to ship all three pallets together this month but weather has delayed the shipment.
A pallet of XL kits (1080) was packed and shipment to Cuba is delayed because of our weather.
We are hopeful that the pallets will ship when the road conditions improve enough for us to get the kits to the Mercer County Career Center and when weather is warm enough for the MCCC to be open to palletize them.
Karie preached at Unity Presbyterian Church and coordinated with their mission committee chair so that they can do a collection drive for washcloths and underwear in the future.
If you’re still reading and clicking, here are the collection point stories I’ve recorded in my blog.
I began working at Third Presbyterian Church in the fall of 2014 and learned about DfG shortly after. We registered as the Pittsburgh Team in 2015, and become the Pittsburgh Collection Point in 2018 (I was labeled the USA Special Project Coordinator) at that time. At the beginning it was about sewing components and building relationships with people in the community, so I was only posting on this blog periodically. Some of the early story of DfG Pittsburgh, PA is only on the Third Church facebook page, and the Pittsburgh DfG facebook page which I’m not sure is active anymore as I’m no longer connected to either. The Collection point facebook page was taken down when the collection point closed, but I’m certain that most of those pictures and stories are documented in my blog articles about the collection point.
Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Pittsburgh Women’s Community Corrections Center in Shadyside and the Lady in the Basement
A toast to strong women: May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them
Developed and Developing
It’s Important to Understand Why
From Menarche to Menopause: All of the love and laughter
Be A Good Neighbor
Quality control as love for neighbor
Beginning of the Lebanon project 2019 and Donations for Lebanon project then the project shifted slightly to include Lebanon, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Somalia: August 2019 update, September 2019 update, November 2019, Kit distribution news, August 2020, Lebanon Emergency Response update and 2nd update This is when the pandemic changed how we operated: Lebanon emergency response change of plans (pivot) and Lebanon wrap up
Days for Girls Apron for my American Girl Doll This was a fun pandemic project back when we thought working from home was temporary (you can see my dining room has turned into a home office and sewing table).
Keeping community and volunteering at a distance and an update (More pandemic challenges)
The project that continued to shift with pandemic challenges (Nicaragua, Chad, Bolivia, Haiti, Afghan, Costa Rica, Philadelphia, Ecuador): 500 kits to Nicaragua with Global Links July 2020, 500 kits to Nicaragua update, Good news from Nicaragua, Chad Humanitarian Response Project, Chad and Nicaragua , Chad and Nicaragua up-date, May 2021 Chad and Nicaragua up-date, June 2021 update, PIVOT for the project – includes shipment to Bolivia, Wrapping up the Chad, Nicaragua, and Bolivia projects, and Haiti, Afghan, Costa Rica, Philadelphia, Ecuador and all of the places kits went that we thought were going to Chad – the big pivot! And then Chad up-date and Bolivia project on going
Jordan Humanitarian response project October 2021 and December 2021 update and Another update
Ukraine March 2022, update, Ukraine thank you and next steps, More thank yous, More thank you and project update and finally, Ukraine project totals
Presbyterian Outlook article – Days for Girls, an example of relational mission
What is it like to be a collection point?
Bolivia Project July 2022 and Bolivia Project update September 2022
Ecuador This was an incredible adventure and inspiring kit distribution!
2023 Cuba Project Luckily, this project was done ahead of schedule and we were able to “pause” our intake of components while I looked for a new location to house our teaming collection point. I had my last Sunday at Third Church in July of 2023 and we (DfG team and collection point) had until December of 2023 to move out.
Pittsburgh Chapter New Home – First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh became our new home in early December of 2023. I was thrilled to have so many people help us move and to have our college interns help set up the new space with our work flow in mind as well as decorate it to keep us inspired.
2024 Cuba Project and Cuba Project Update Before the Cuba project was completely finished, PA Collection Point Moving again – Grove City , and Cuba Project Complete/Thank you FUMC/Open House in Grove City.
The Collection Point moved to Grove City and started to be known as the Pennsylvania Collection Point so that we could be differentiated from the Pittsburgh Team that stayed at FUMC in Pittsburgh.
The Grove City team moved into their new space on the campus of George Junior Republic in the spring but waited for the Collection Point to move in to host Open House (September 2024) for the community.
Lebanon and Hurricane Helene Emergency Response (October 2024) and Lebanon and Hurricane Helene Emergency Response Update (November 2024)
In 2025 it was easier to report out by month than by project. January 2025 Collection Point Update, February 2025 Collection Point Update, March 2025 Collection Point Update, April 2025 Collection Point Update, May 2025 Collection Point Update, June 2025 Collection Point Update, July 20205 Collection Point Update, August 2025 Collection Point Update, September 2025 Collection Point Update, October 2025 collection Point Update, November 2024 Collection Point Update, and December 2025 Collection Point Update. Included in the December update is a mention of the MixAid Holiday Partnership which was really fun for our volunteers.
January 2026 Collection Point Update
In February of 2026 we shipped out last Collection Point orders and then packed up the remaining components and supplies and shipped those to the Missouri Collection Point in early March. Thanks to Mike Whalen and the Mercer County Career Center students for assembling and shipping our pallets.
Period Pastor Pad 