Friends of SoZo Kids is launching its annual Undies Drive, with the goal of collecting 1,000 packs of new underwear for children ages 5 to 18, plus at least 400 sports bras (training bras to teen extra-large).
Donations will be collected between 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 30, at two drive-through locations:
- Everglades Rec Center Picnic Pavilion
- Oxford United Methodist Church, 3906 E. Co. Road 466, next to Wawa.
“We need all sizes of underwear for boys and girls, especially larger sizes for teens,” said Karen Kretschmann, of the Village of Hillsborough, who is overseeing this year’s Undies & Sneakers Drive. “Boys prefer boxer briefs. Girls prefer a variety of styles, including boy-cut, bikinis and hipsters,” she added.
The Undies Drive follows on the heels of the Friends of SoZo Kids Sneakers Drive, which was launched in March. “Thanks to area churches and many individual donors, we have reached about half of our sneakers goal, so we are seeking other churches and groups to help us reach our goal of 1,000 new pairs of sneakers,” said Linda Casey, of the Village of LaBelle South, president of Friends of SoZo Kids.
A link to a list of needed underwear and sneakers sizes is available at www.FriendsOfSoZoKids.com. Cash donations also are accepted online. Checks, written to “Friends of SoZo Kids,” may be mailed to Friends of SoZo Kids, 333 Colony Blvd., Suite 164, The Villages, FL 32162.
Friends of SoZo Kids (and its precursor, SoZo Kids Club of The Villages) has been running annual Undies Collections for nearly 10 years. The group started its annual Sneakers Collection five years ago.
Clothing items will be distributed to 1,000-plus children at the annual Back-to-School Bash August 6 at the Ocklawaha Bridge Baptist Church. Friends of SoZo Kids will provide 1,000 children with backpacks filled with age-appropriate school supplies. In addition, volunteers will polish the children’s fingernails and cut their hair to help them feel special for the beginning of school.
More information is available by emailing Contact@FriendsOfSoZoKids.com.
