October 21, 2014 – From the Desk of Celeste Mergens

 

IMPORTANT: Days for Girls announces new policy for Washcloths, eliminating all handknit and crocheted washcloths.

 

Volunteers are the heart of reaching girls and women. One of the secrets to the value of the kits has been our dedication to responding to the feedback from the field. New feedback, along with testing and research, has concluded the handknit/crocheted washcloths are not appropriate for use in the Days for Girls menstruation kit. The washing and drying conditions in the field leave the washcloths hard and rough, thus, inappropriate for washing tender body parts, especially that of young girls. The handknit/crocheted washcloths also take extra time to dry due to thickness and texture and are more prone to retaining potential germs. While we regret the need to disallow the work of many volunteers who have lovingly knit/crocheted many washcloths, our decision is to set policy based on what is best for the girls. Please implement this policy immediately and remove such washcloths from kits which have not yet been distributed.

 

Days for Girls encourages the inclusion of inexpensive commercially-made terry washcloths which dry quickly and are not so plush as to add to excessive weight and bulk; the goal is to keep the cost of the washcloth as low as possible while providing enough quality to endure, thus enabling both time and funds to be used for making the shields, liners and drawstring bags. What about sewing your own from terry cloth? Here's what we know from years of experience: the quality of such endeavors really vary. Sometimes ladies spend a whole lot of time, materials and even shipping (and extra harsh wear on their serger, as terrycloth is very lint-heavy) and end up with a result that is lessor quality. Those that do it very well? Gee, wouldn't you rather they were using that talent and time doing shields and liners? Washcloths are one of those things that non-sewists like to contribute. Let's focus on making kits happen. We know it isn't easy to shift gears on these policies. Yesterday a sweet woman came in with a stack of beautiful knitted washcloths and a few hotel soaps and I could barely bring myself to tell her that we would not be using them in kits any more. I explained why and she took it very cheerfully, saying she had wondered about that and her group would come to our next assembly and see what else they could do instead. Whew. We hope you understand that this decision was not made lightly. We also know that some of you chapter and team leaders had already decided not to include them in kits and we commend you and thank you for sharing your feedback from the field. 

 

Potential alternatives for the beautiful yarn washcloths already in your care include:
Giving donors first right of refusal for alternative usage, donating them to homeless shelters or global relief programs where such is appropriate, or using them as a knitted washcloth holiday fundraiser to purchase kit components (thus honoring the crafter’s intent). As always, your efforts and dedication are valued and make all the difference. Know you can help in other ways. We hope you choose to! Thank you for helping us keep kits working well to effectively change lives for girls.

 

With Gratitude,

 

Celeste