EP #174 A Single Bra Donation Can Help Someone Stand Tall

A gently used bra can feel like clutter in a drawer, but for someone facing homelessness, poverty, or a sudden crisis, it can be the difference between getting through the day with confidence or shrinking into the background. I’m joined by Tracy Lloyd, affiliate director of I Support the Girls Fredericksburg, to talk about the essentials we rarely discuss out loud and why they matter more than most people realize.

Tracy shares the origin story of I Support the Girls, how the Fredericksburg affiliate was founded in 2022, and how the mission works on the ground: collecting bras, new underwear, and menstrual products, then distributing them through trusted local partners like Hope House, Empowerhouse, the Thurman Brisben Center, and the Fredericksburg Free Closet. We also dig into the Period Project in local schools, where stocked bags of menstrual products help students stay in class instead of going home early.

We close with the realities of running a volunteer and donation-based nonprofit, common misconceptions about need, and the eye-opening stats behind period poverty. If you’ve ever wondered where to donate bras in Fredericksburg, how to donate menstrual products locally, or how to volunteer for a Fredericksburg nonprofit that supports women and girls, you’ll leave with clear next steps.

If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more neighbors can find the show.

Tracy Lloyd

I Support the Girls Fredericksburg

isupportthegirls.org

istg.fxbg@gmail.com

+1 240-816-0570

PO Box 3424, Fredericksburg, VA

Transcript

Welcome To Fredericksburg Neighbors

Speaker 1 0:01

This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dory Stewart.

Speaker 0:13

Welcome back to another episode of the SXBG Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I have a special guest joining me today. We've got Tracy Lloyd. She is the affiliate director of I Support the Girls Fredericksburg. Tracy, welcome to the podcast.

Speaker 2 0:32

Good morning. Thank you so much, Nori.

Speaker 0:34

I'm really excited to dive in and learn more about you and more about this amazing organization.

How The Organization Began

Speaker 0:42

So share with us what is I Support the Girls Fredericksburg.

Speaker 2 0:48

So we actually started just as I Support the Girls, and it was started by uh Dana Marlowe back in 2015. And she'd lost some weight and went bra shopping and asked the saleswoman, you know, what can I do with my gently used bras? They're they're good, I just don't want to throw them away. And she said, homeless women need bras. And with that statement, a beautiful idea was born. And uh so Dana created I support the girls, and it has grown to about 60 different affiliates across the United States and actually internationally as well. And so our mission is really to we just collect and distribute uh essential items like bras, underwear, and menstrual products, and then this allows women and folks experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or just distress to kind of stand tall with some dignity. And so um Margot Lucier created I Support the Girls Fredericksburg in August 2022. And um I met her and I joined the bandwagon, and it's just kind of grown from there. And so

Local Giving Partners And Drives

Speaker 2 1:56

what we do is we collect donations through donation drives, and then we donate those back through organizations uh locally. So um places like Hope House, Empower House, Thurman Brisbane Center, Fredericksburg Free Closet, things like that. Um, we also have something called the Period Project in our some of our local schools. And the Period Project is we provide cosmetic bags full of menstrual products to be delivered into the classrooms so that girls don't have to miss a whole day of school or even have to go home early because they don't have access to those products. It's just a quick bathroom trip, and then they're back in school where they need to be. And then one of the things we really love to do is in October, in honor of breast cancer awareness month, we select an organization to do bra fittings with. Last year we selected Empower House and we met with the women, we helped them learn how to size themselves for their proper size bras, and then we crowdsourced to make sure that every woman had at least, I think they walked away with five or six bras that fit them perfectly in their size. So that's something we we really are excited about.

Speaker 3:09

Amazing. I absolutely love what you're doing, and I'm a little ashamed to say that I've cleaned up my closet so many times over the years, and I always donate my clothes, but I've never thought about donating bromas. And so I'm really glad that I have learned about this organization. And um, I was just telling you before we went line about a bag of brums to donate. So I'm excited to help the mission. So I absolutely love this.

Tracy’s Path Into Service

Speaker 3:35

So tell me a little bit about your background. I want to know how did you get involved?

Speaker 2 3:42

So from a very young age, my father instilled service in us. Um so we were always doing some kind of service project in our community. Um, and I've just kind of grown up that way, just giving back. You know, I'm I'm privileged to be where I am, and just giving back is just something I've grown up with. Um, as I retired, I I was looking for something I really wanted to focus with on women and girls and helping them and be empowered. And like I said, I ended up meeting Margot at um we were we were in the running club together, and she was doing a donation drive for menstrual products, and I'd never heard of such a thing before. And so I asked her a million questions, and then I said, Do you need some help? And she said, Yes, it's just me. I'd love your help. And so uh one became two. Um, and then we met Adria Robinson about a year and a half later, um, and two became three. And then um unfortunately, Margot moved out of the area last December, so I you know, Adrian and I talked, we just couldn't let this, you know, couldn't let this amazing um effort go by the wayside. So I stepped up to be the affiliate director, and Adria is my right-hand woman, and we are keeping this afloat and trying to grow it.

Speaker 4:56

Amazing, amazing. So if

Ways To Volunteer And Show Up

Speaker 4:59

if there are listeners inspired and they want to pitch in, uh, I I understand they can donate um products and and bras and things like that. Are there other ways that the community can get involved?

Speaker 2 5:14

Um, so we do need volunteers sometimes. Um we we do a couple of events. We were just at the Earth Day Festival, and um there's just two of us, right? So we do need some extra hands to be able to share our message with the community by being out in the community. Um people are starting, it's been about a couple years now, so people are starting to know our name, but many still haven't heard of us. Um so we will be at the metaphysical market May 30th, and we will need some volunteers for that, and we will also be at Pride. Um we really enjoy the Pride Festival, so um, we need volunteers for those kinds of things. Um and it, you know, an individual can donate as well as groups or local businesses.

Speaker 5:56

Amazing, amazing.

Misconceptions And The Real Need

Speaker 5:58

So, what is something that you wish the listeners knew about I Support the Girls? Maybe it's something that um, you know, maybe it's a it's a misconception or or something that uh they need to know.

Speaker 2 6:14

So a couple things. Um, even though we have headquarters and they're located in Maryland, uh, it's a big international company, um, we i support the girls Fredericksburg are completely volunteer and donation-based. So they do not fund us in any way, shape, or form. Um, they give us, you know, some tools to help, um, like branding and things like that, but um it is up to us to serve our community. And the way they they do it that way to make sure that you know we're building the partnerships and it grows like that. So I'm not paid, Adria's not paid. Um, we do this because we love it. Um, so we really do rely solely on donations and the kindness of our community to be able to help others in our community. Um, I think the other there's a big misconception. So people, I always hear, oh, people really need menstrual products. Oh, people really need bras and underwear. And absolutely the need is there, it is very great right now, and unfortunately, the need is growing. So, about um one in four women in the United States actually struggle to buy menstrual products, they just don't have the funds to do that. And about 33% of our girls in schools miss some amount of school because they have um a lack of access to these products. So the need is here, it is in our neighborhood, it is in our community, and it's growing. Um, so we are trying to help as many as we can, and you know, the community's been coming together, so we really appreciate them.

Speaker 7:51

Well, it's such an important cause. I'm so um glad to hear that you all are doing what you're doing, and I hope that there's uh neighbors listening inspired to donate and volunteer and help out. If

Where To Donate And Connect

Speaker 8:08

they want to learn more, if they want to connect with you, where's the best place to find you?

Speaker 2 8:13

So we are on Instagram at istg.fxbg, and we're on Facebook. Spell it all out. It's i support the girls-fredericksburg VA. And then you can also email um me, and it'll be at istg.fxbg at gmail.com. Amazing, amazing.

Speaker 8:36

Tracy, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing i support the girls with us.

Speaker 2 8:42

Thank you so much. I appreciate your time and this opportunity. Thank you.

Thanks And Nomination Link

Speaker 1 8:48

Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to FXBG NeighborsPodcast.com.