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By Martha Ransohoff Adler
As Micah grows and evolves, so does our annual collection of undergarments for Friendship Place. This year, instead of the collection being guided by one class from the Machon, the ENTIRE Machon community will be “all hands on deck.”
What is the same? Temple Micah remains the sole provider of new undergarments for Friendship Place, a leader of housing services for people experiencing homelessness in the Washington region. The challenge of homelessness has intensified as income inequality in our area widens.
Friendship Place’s services are needed now more than ever.
Micah’s commitment to Friendship Place dates to our first drive (2000), when the Micah community collected approximately 1,500 undergarments for Friendship Place’s client population. Since then, we have collected more than 150,000 undergarments.
Friendship Place relies on Temple Micah year after year. It’s that simple.
What has changed? For most Micah members, the drill will be the same: Fill a bag with new underwear and bring it to Yom Kippur services or order online and have it delivered through October.
Behind the scenes, though, there are some differences, most notably that many more people will be running the show. As Micah has grown and as the challenge of homelessness has intensified, the Underwear Drive has become too big for one class.
How will it work this year? In early September, Micah’s fourth-through-seventh-grade students held a “stapling party” during which they attached shopping lists to the grocery bags that high school students will hand out to congregants on Rosh Hashanah. They also met with Alan Banks — one of Friendship Place’s Community Engagement specialists, to hear his story and to learn about homelessness. Alan, who has personal experience with homelessness, was a client with Friendship Place before joining their staff. He has inspired Micah’s Machon students for many years.
Shortly after Rosh Hashanah, Machon children from grades PreK-3, along with their families, will meet for backyard gatherings to count the undergarments. Even our youngest students can understand the need for clean underwear; involving them at this level is a great way to introduce them to the concept of tikkun olam.
On Yom Kippur, as usual, congregants are encouraged to bring their bags full of new underwear to services at both worship locations (Temple Micah and National United Methodist Church on Nebraska Avenue).
As in past years, the drive will continue through October, with the option for donors to purchase underwear online and ship donations directly to Friendship Place. Details and links will be provided in weekly emails and on Micah’s website.
Temple Micah is in a period of transition, but the Underwear Drive is a constant in our community’s commitment to making the world better. This year, we are grateful to Machon students and staff at every level for striving to make the drive a success.
Since 2000, the Temple Micah/Friendship Place partnership has thrived. Thank you to all of you who have contributed for the past 25 years!
This article originally appeared in the Sep-Oct-Nov 2025 issue of the Vine.