Imagine not having clean underwear or new, sturdy shoes to wear to school. Unfortunately, that’s the situation facing too many children living in poverty in the Ocala National Forest.
In conjunction with its annual Sneakers Drive, Friends of SoZo Kids is launching its 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.-noon on Saturday, April 29, at two drive-through locations:
- Everglades Recreation Center Picnic Pavilion
- Oxford United Methodist Church, 3906 E. County Road 466, next to the Wawa station
“We need all sizes of underwear for boys and girls, especially larger sizes for teens,” said Sharon Stiles, Village of Santo Domingo, 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 Ed Latimer, Village of Fernandina, 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 32162.
Donations of underwear, new sneakers, backpacks and school supplies are distributed to more than 1,000 poor children at the annual SoZo Kids Back-to-School Bash in August and throughout the year. More information is available by emailing [email protected].