tales from the panty ministry

In honor of National Underwear Day tomorrow (and no, I'm not making this up), I have a story to tell. Last week, just after our return from the Berkshires, a friend was kind enough to forward a message from one of her friends, Kristin.


Kristin had just been to Springfield, not far from the Berkshires, where she'd prepared picnic lunches and then helped distribute them to homeless people at two locations. There was also some distribution of clothing. One of the women served came up to Kristin and asked if she might have any women's underwear. Kristin felt terrible for not being able to grant this simplest of requests. But it got her thinking about how much we take it for granted that we can put on a fresh pair every day.


So she wrote to a few colleagues and said she was going back in a few weeks; perhaps her friends could contribute a little to the cause. This is where I came in. That mutual friend forwarded the message to me. I was moved to tears and then to action.


I think I've mentioned that my company's main customer is Victoria's Secret. I sent Kristin's message to my female colleagues and mentioned the tie-in to our business. Within 15 minutes, one woman came into my office, threw $50 into my lap and ran out again. The money kept coming -- $250. I've already bought 326 pairs of underpants, including some for the children of these women. Tomorrow, I need to buy a few more pairs because I received a late donation just today.


Tomorrow night, I have the privilege of delivering the underpants to my friend, who will pass them on to Kristin, who will hand them out to these women in Springfield. Kristin called the effort the Panty Ministry. The true minister here is Kristin for having been present and for having paid attention. I can't wait to hear the results of the panty drive.