Mardi Bras 2025

We are Back for our 10th Year!

MARDI GRAS, where women bare their breasts for beads in New Orleans, is right around the corner. Instead of revealing our breasts, we are going to work at covering some! Join us for MARDI BRAS 2025!!!

 For over 10 years through the Mardi Bras initiative, Into The Neighborhood has…

  • CONNECTED people around the common cause,
  • COMMUNICATED to the general public regarding the needs for bras, underwear, pads and tampons, and
  • COLLECTED and distributed hundreds of thousands of product to women in need through partner organizations.

You are invited to help us celebrate this effort and contribute to this year’s needs of supplying these products. We will be collecting…

  • new bras and underwear of all shapes and sizes
  • Full packages of pads and tampons of all kinds
  • Opened packages of wrapped tampons and pads

Tuesday Night, you can expect…

  • Food (of course!)
  • NonAlcoholic drinks
  • Games and art
  • Stories and testimonies shared about the need
  • an opportunity to meet some of our partnering agencies
click to RSVP for Tuesday

Wednesday morning, you can expect the following…

  • Assemble gift bags for women in recovery based on size and preference
  • Package product that can be delivered to our partnering organizations
click to RSVP for wednesday

If you are unable to attend, please consider making a financial donation, purchasing off the amazon wish list or hosting your own party!

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:

If you want to make a contribution, make your check to Into The Neighborhood and include a note that says Mardi Bras, and we will use the funds to provide the necessary products. Mail it to:

Into The Neighborhood PO Box 25868 Richmond, VA 23260

Click Here For Other Ways to Give

Sponsorship opportunity

We are thankful for these gifts and contributions.

Amazon Wish List

HOST YOUR OWN MARDI BRAS PARTY IN MARCH OR EARLY APRIL:

You are invited to host your own Mardi Bras Party — at home or work, at church and other houses of worship, at a restaurant, or bar, book clubs and more!  A Mardi Bras Party Kit can be found here.

If you host your own party, please forward us the following information, and we will share it here and on social media, if your party is open to the public.

  • Date and Time:
  • Name of Group:
  • Contact Name:
  • Contact Number:
  • Location:
  • Open to the Public or Private Party:
  • Special Notes or Focus:
  • Would you like someone to attend your collection to speak on the topic? If you would like for us to come and speak to your church, book club, women’s group, etc., please contact us here… Contact Us About Speaking.  We will do our best to have someone there, but can’t promise it.

PURCHASING TIPS:

We are collecting:

  • Tampons (All sizes are appreciated.)
  • Menstrual Pads (Heavy flow, light days, etc. are all appreciated.)
  • NEW Bras – of ALL sizes!
  • NEW Women’s underwear – of ALL sizes!
  • WHITE WIRELESS BRAS (like sports bras – all sizes!!! ) for the Richmond City Justice Center and the Chesterfield County Jail

Other tips:

  • Without going into a lot of details, menstrual cups are not that successful for homeless women in the RVA area (because there are not many sanitary places for them to be used and it becomes dangerous/unclean.) Although many of the prostitutes can still use them because they can still conduct business. We just won’t need a lot of them.
  • Check back often! We will update as we learn more! More to come!

SOME ORGANIZATIONS WE ARE SUPPORTING:

Check back often because we will update the list!

  • Richmond City Justice Center
  • Chesterfield County Jail
  • Housing Families First – Hilliard House and Building Neighbors
  • Family And Community Engagement (FACE) Department of Richmond Public Schools
  • Daily Planet
  • Alpha and Omega Church
  • Yeshua’s House
  • CARITAS
  • Life Transformation Church, a missional micro-expression of the church network in RVA
  • ACES
  • Goochland Cares
  • St Joseph’s Villa
  • and many more!

SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS INFORMATION:

If you know of a place that could use these items, give them a call and let us know what they need, so that we can collect and distribute them. Send the following information here.. Mardi Bras Org Info.

  • Organization Name
  • Contact Name, Number, Email
  • Women they support and how they support them.
  • Supplies Needed
  • Are you willing to attend one of the gatherings to share about the plight of women who are homeless in the Metro RVA area?

Thanks! Look forward to seeing you all!