To honor her mother, an Illinois woman is out to provide women in need with properly fitting bras.
Cynthia Gamboa-Morales started CUPS — Commitment to Uplift with Purpose and Service — in 2017.
Her organization came about in part because of her mother’s love for garage sales.
Her mom, who died of breast cancer in 2015, often would gather unwanted items and have garage sales at her house.
After taking her last college finals, Gamboa-Morales woke up early one Saturday morning to her mom asking her what she could contribute to her latest garage sale.
Initially, Gamboa-Morales said she had nothing to contribute and her mom replied, “why don’t you put out the bras you never wear.”
Gamboa-Morales said, “Eew, who wants my bras?”
Undeterred, Gamboa-Morales’ mother told her “people don’t have the resources to purchase new bras” so her mom took the bras and “marked them free” at the end of the driveway.
A neighbor took the box and mailed the bras to his relatives overseas who don’t have access to properly-fitted bras.
Gamboa-Morales then knew she wanted to do something to help women in similar situations. She began collecting new or gently used bras for Free the Girls Organization, a nonprofit that assists women and victims of sex trafficking around the world.
The first year, she collected 600 bras. The next year, the amount doubled.
“We often found that women don’t know their bra size, and if they do they may not be able to afford that size,” Gamboa-Morales said. “We have found many women to be in specialty sizes.”
To donate: Bras can be mailed to P.O. Box 223, Montgomery, IL 60538.
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