The week in politics: How House Republicans plan to fund their version of voucher bill
MS CHEAP

Ms. Cheap wants your T-shirts to give to Room in the Inn

Mary Hance
USA Today Network — Tennessee

How many T-shirts do you have in your closet? Ten? Twenty? Fifty?

How many of them do you hardly ever — or never — wear?

OK, I'm not giving you a hard time about the number of shirts you have, but I want your extras.

Yep, I am collecting T-shirts to donate to Room in the Inn as part of my second annual Ms. Cheap T-shirt Drive for the Homeless.

We started this tee tradition last spring as a pop-up campaign, and within about 10 days, readers had dropped off 2,791 shirts that were turned over to Room in the Inn to give out to the men and women they serve during the hot, sweaty summer months.

What a great way to free up some drawer or closet space and help some people on the streets at the same time!

We're seeking clean and wearable T-shirts — all colors, sizes, men's and some for ladies, too. They can be T-shirts from races, schools, trips, charity events, brands, bands — almost anything, but nothing lewd or alcohol- or drug-related.

"On hot summer days, there isn't much that feels better than a fresh T-shirt. For our those who are on the streets, this small comfort can really help them get through the day," said Jeff Moles, who said adult size T-shirts are the most helpful since about 85 percent of the people his organization serves are men.

"Donating T-shirts is an easy way for people to love their neighbors. It helps people to know that they've been remembered," he said.

It might be fun to get your office involved by inviting everyone to bring in their shirts. Or the kiddos could participate too with a quick and easy end-of-school T-shirt collection.

"Many people are familiar with our winter shelter program hosted in nearly 200-area congregations, but Room in the Inn also serves hundreds of people year-round at its downtown comprehensive center, offering emergency services, transitional programs and long-term solutions," Moles said.

Donors will be happy to know that any shirts that Room in the Inn can't use will be donated to ThriftSmart in exchange for vouchers for Room in the Inn clients to use to shop in the ThriftSmart stores.

The plan for my drive is simple: Just drop your clean extra T-shirts off in the lobby of The Tennessean at 1100 Broadway during business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday) by May 24, and we will take it  from there. It is fine to drop off one or two or a box or sack full of shirts.

If you have questions, shoot me an email at mscheap@tennessean.com.

Thanks in advance. I will let you know how many we collect!

Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, at Tennessean.com/mscheap and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5’s “Talk of the Town.”