The Undie Chest FAQ: How to Donate New Underwear and Support Hygiene Equity

The Undie Chest is a nonprofit organization that helps provide new, clean undergarments to individuals and families experiencing poverty, homelessness, economic hardship, crisis, or major life transitions. We work through trusted schools, shelters, nonprofits, and community organizations so essential items reach people who need them most.

The Undie Chest supports organizations serving Title I students, families living in poverty, people experiencing homelessness, foster care youth, domestic violence and human trafficking survivors, breast cancer survivors, and others facing hardship. For privacy and safety reasons, we do not publicly list every organization or individual served.

Underwear is one of those basic essentials that is easy to overlook until someone does not have it. Clean undergarments support health, comfort, confidence, school attendance, work readiness, and dignity. A simple pair of underwear can help remove one more barrier so someone can focus on moving forward.

Hygiene poverty means not having access to basic personal care items needed for health, confidence, and daily life. For The Undie Chest, that includes access to new, clean undergarments. When someone cannot afford or access these essentials, it can affect school, work, health, and self-esteem.

We accept new undergarments for all ages and sizes. This includes new women’s and girls’ underwear, new men’s and boys’ underwear, new bras, new sports bras, new mastectomy bras, new breast prostheses, and new men’s and boys’ T-shirts. Items should have tags or be in their original packaging whenever possible.

If you are a retailer and have overstock, returns and samples of lingerie and clothing. Please contact us at contactus@undiechest.org. We can accept certain clothing items particularly activewear.

The Undie Chest Inc cannot establish or confirm the value of donated items. Valuations are the responsibility of the donor, in consultation with their tax preparer.

Please save the tax deduction receipt that you will receive via email only for tax purposes. It serves as a confirmation of your contribution of goods to The Undie Chest Inc on the date received by us. The Undie Chest does not provide itemized donation lists.

Please note that when filling out the donation form, you must provide a valid email address in order to receive a receipt for tax deduction.

We only accept new underwear because schools, shelters, and nonprofit partners need items that are clean, safe, and ready to give directly to the people they serve. Many of our partners do not have the ability to wash or prepare items before distribution, so new items help us move essentials quickly and responsibly.

No. The Undie Chest does not accept used women’s panties, girls’ panties, men’s underwear, or boys’ underwear. Underwear must be new. If you have gently used bras, those should be recycled through The Bra Recyclers instead.

We do not accept stained, wet, damaged, or heavily worn items. We also do not accept used underwear, shapewear, girdles, pantyhose, tights, slips, camisoles, garters, swimsuits, shoes, dresses, skirts, suits, pants, socks, or sanitary products. If you are unsure about an item, please contact us before shipping it.

There are three simple steps: collect new underwear, complete the online donation form, and mail or drop off your items. The donation form helps us track your gift, send a receipt, and include your support in our impact reporting.

You can use any sturdy box or envelope that safely holds your items. We encourage you to reuse a box you already have. Please remove or cover old labels before shipping.

Donors are responsible for shipping their items to The Undie Chest. To help keep shipping affordable, we recommend Give Back Box, UPS, USPS, or GoShippo. Always check current shipping rates before mailing your box.

Links to use: Give Back Box - https://givebackbox.shop/products/the-undie-chest-shipping-label | GoShippo - https://goshippo.com

Give Back Box is a shipping option that allows you to send up to 50 pounds of new bras or underwear for $20 through The Undie Chest shipping label. Your label will be emailed to you. If you need more than one label, contact Give Back Box directly at info@givebackbox.com.

Please note since Give Back Box is a third party you will need to contact them with any questions.

Link to use: Give Back Box - https://givebackbox.shop/products/the-undie-chest-shipping-label

Yes. The Undie Chest offers a Phoenix-area drop-off option at our Mesa mailing address, and we also partner with The Bra Recyclers to provide convenient drop-off locations. Please check the current drop-off location list before visiting, and complete the donation form if you need a receipt.

Links to use: Drop-Off Locations - https://thebrarecyclers.com/drop-off-locations | Give Undies - https://undiechest.org/give-undies

Currently, we only have a drop-off location in the Phoenix, AZ area. There will be more drop-offs coming as we continue to bring on more partners.

We recommend filling out the online donation form and including the barcode in the bag or box. If you do not include the barcode, we cannot send you a confirmation email. You can also print off and fill out the donation form and include it in your package.

Please mail new underwear donations to: The Undie Chest, 4904 S. Power Rd, Ste 103-441, Mesa, AZ 85212. Please package your items in a box or bag before mailing or dropping them off.

Also if you would like a tax deduction receipt, please make sure you fill out the online Give Undies form.

Link to use: Give Undies - https://undiechest.org/give-undies

No. We do not accept direct requests from individuals. We know the need is great, but we are not able to manage individual requests. Instead, we work through approved nonprofit organizations, schools, shelters, and community partners.

Yes. We accept new underwear donations year-round because the need does not stop after a campaign or holiday season. Schools, shelters, and community organizations need access to basic essentials year-round.

After you submit the online Give Undies form, your information is saved in our system. You can then mail or drop off your items without printing the form or placing anything inside the box. Our team sorts donations as they arrive and uses the items to fulfill requests from approved nonprofit and community partners. Your tax deduction form is sent automatically by email about 30 days after you complete the online Give Undies form.

Note: If you don't want to fill out the online donation form, you can print the Donation Form and include it in your box. You must provide a valid email address to receive a confirmation email and tax deduction receipt.

Link to use: Give Undies - https://undiechest.org/give-undies

The underwear we receive is distributed through trusted nonprofit and community partners serving people who need access to basic essentials. This may include Title I schools, shelters, organizations supporting survivors, breast cancer support programs, and groups serving families in crisis. We protect partner and recipient privacy whenever safety is a concern.

Yes. If you do not have new underwear to send, you can still help by purchasing items from our Amazon or Walmart wish lists. Wishlist gifts are an easy way to send the sizes and items most needed by the communities we support.

Links to use: Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2P3WOVAQBKHYJ?ref_=wl_share | Walmart Wishlist - https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/9c0471bc-b878-4e48-a0ba-561ee68b54d5

If you have a large quantity of new underwear, please contact us before shipping or dropping off your items. Large donations may require special shipping or warehouse coordination, and most public drop-off locations cannot accept large-volume donations.

Links to use: Partner With Us - https://undiechest.org/partner-with-us | Contact Us - https://undiechest.org/contact-us

Yes, please complete the online donation form before mailing or dropping off your items. The form helps us connect your package to your contact information, send your confirmation email, and track the impact of your donation.

Link to use: Give Undies - https://undiechest.org/give-undies

No. The Undie Chest is now paperless. Once you complete the online Give Undies form, your information is captured in our system. You do not need to print the form, include a copy in your box, or attach paperwork to your package.

Yes. Our system automatically emails your tax deduction form about 30 days after you complete the online Give Undies form. Please make sure you enter a valid email address on the form. We do not mail paper tax forms.

Link to use: Give Undies - https://undiechest.org/give-undies

The Undie Chest cannot determine or confirm the value of donated items. The value is the responsibility of the donor, and we recommend consulting your tax preparer if you have questions. Your tax deduction form confirms that we received donated goods, but it does not include an itemized value.

Nonprofits, schools, shelters, and community organizations that need underwear for the people they serve should contact The Undie Chest directly. We will send a private application link to complete so we can review the request, understand the organization's needs, and determine how we may be able to support them. We do not post the application link publicly on the website. Link to use: Contact Us - https://undiechest.org/contact-us

Yes. Retailers, brands, and businesses can donate new excess inventory, samples, returns, and overstock that meet our quality guidelines. These partnerships help redirect usable products to people who need them while reducing unnecessary waste.

Link to use: Partner With Us - https://undiechest.org/partner-with-us

Yes. If your business has a large quantity of new undergarments, activewear, or related inventory, please contact us before shipping. We can discuss product type, quantity, logistics, reporting needs, and whether the items are best suited for distribution, recycling, or another responsible solution.

Links to use: Partner With Us - https://undiechest.org/partner-with-us | Contact Us - https://undiechest.org/contact-us

Yes. Businesses, community groups, faith communities, schools, and employee teams can host underwear drives to support The Undie Chest. The most helpful drives collect new underwear in a range of sizes for women, girls, men, and boys. Contact us before launching your drive so we can share current needs and donation instructions.

Links to use: Partner With Us - https://undiechest.org/partner-with-us | Contact Us - https://undiechest.org/contact-us

When donations arrive, our team sorts items by category and quality, then prepares them to fulfill requests from approved nonprofit and community partners. Items that cannot be distributed may be downcycled or recycled through textile recycling partners when possible.

Donating new underwear helps extend the life of usable products and keeps essential items from being wasted. When new excess inventory or community donations are redirected to people who need them, we support both human dignity and responsible stewardship of resources.

We track donations received, items distributed, partner needs, and community outcomes through online forms, reporting tools, partner feedback, and our annual Community Impact Survey. Each year, nonprofits that receive donations from The Undie Chest are invited to share who they served, what needs they are seeing, and how donated undergarments supported their clients. This helps us understand where the need is greatest, improve our programs, and communicate the impact of community and retail support. Link to use: Impact Report / Community Impact Survey - https://undiechest.org/our-mission#impact-report

You can support The Undie Chest by making a financial donation, purchasing items from our wish lists, hosting a drive, sharing our mission, sponsoring shipping or warehouse needs, or connecting us with a school, shelter, nonprofit, retailer, or business partner.

Links to use: Donate - https://undiechest.org/donate | Amazon Wishlist - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2P3WOVAQBKHYJ?ref_=wl_share | Walmart Wishlist - https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/9c0471bc-b878-4e48-a0ba-561ee68b54d5 | Partner With Us - https://undiechest.org/partner-with-us