Women Giving Back (WGB)—a HomeAid Northern Virginia program that helps transitionally homeless women get back on their feet with free clothes and accessories suitable for re-entering the workplace—has had another incredible year, with huge support from the HomeAid community that enabled volunteers to distribute thousands of items to hundreds of women and children from shelters in Northern Virginia.

WGB also gained more attention and donations from members of the Northern Virginia Builders Industry Association (NVBIA), as NVBIA President Mike Gorman made a concerted, and very successful, effort to encourage its members to also support WGB with school supplies, Halloween costumes and toy drive campaigns, as well as give cash donations.

“One of my favorite images from this summer,” Gorman said, “was the sight of Mike Scheurer, HomeAid’s president, heading out after the NVBIA/HomeAid crab feast with enough donated school supplies to fill an SUV.”

In addition to the school supplies, costumes and toys, WGB collected loads of clothing and accessories, but it all needs to be sorted before it can be put out on the shelves.

In order to ensure another successful year for WGB, please consider having your organization host a private “sort party!”

The parties can be scheduled at any time during the day or night, except during the second week of the month. Food and refreshments can be made available, and to maximize the fun and make a sufficient “dent” in the items to be sorted, a minimum of five people is recommended. Volunteers should plan on spending at least three hours.

For more information or to schedule a sorting party, e-mail womengivingback@gmail.com. You’ll be one step closer to being part of a program that has distributed more than 450,000 items of clothing to 10,000 women and children from 100+ shelters in Northern Virginia since its founding in 2007.