Marshall County Public Libraries are collecting underwear for children throughout the county in the agency’s second “Drop Your Drawers” campaign.
Drop off packages of new underwear for boys and girls from Oct. 30 through Dec. 1, at any of the library’s branches. Donations will help replenish the Marshall County schools’ supplies of emergency underpants and provide direct assistance to each school’s Family Resource Centers.
Why underwear? Simply put: there is a great need.
“There is definitely a need for a program like the Drop Your Drawers campaign,” said Melissa Elrod of the Benton-Central Family Resource Center. “There are times when we need extra pairs of underwear, like when a child doesn’t make it to the bathroom in time or has a spill in the lunchroom. We probably hand out around 200-300 pair of underwear at each school every year.”
This year, the library’s campaign will expand to include adult-sized underwear for the two middle schools in Marshall County. Glenda Byers of the Youth Service Center at South and North Middle Schools, said the YSC gives two to three pairs of underwear a day due to accidents and feminine hygiene issues.
“This may sound really simple, but for a child who is upset and maybe getting made fun of, it’s a really big deal,” Byers said. “It’s great to be able to get them back to class very quickly, and get them feeling good about themselves.”
The Marshall County Public Library is one of many libraries across the state of Kentucky taking part of the Drop Your Drawers campaign, which originated in Campbell County.
“Libraries partnering with our Family Resource Centers shines a light on a situation that most people in the community don’t even realize our students have,” said Lorrie Shadowen, vice principal of Benton Elementary School.
Elrod agreed that the library and community’s involvement is important.
“When members of the community do campaigns like the Drop Your Drawers campaign, it is a huge help to the Family Resource Center,” Elrod said. “There is no way we can do all the things we do on our own.”
New, unopened packages of underwear can be dropped off at all three branches (Benton, Calvert City and Hardin) of the Marshall County Public Library as well as the Bookmobile throughout the month of November.