Stew and Debby lead a bundling event at Familiy of Christ Lutheran Church outside Minneapolis on a Saturday afternoon through the non-profit they founded called The Drawer. Photo: The Drawer
What was once a family joke—Grandma Lucy’s annual Christmas gift of socks and underwear—became a call to action for one Eagan family. After Grandma Lucy passed away in 2000, family members began bringing socks and underwear to Christmas and donating them to nonprofit organizations. Since those items are among the most needed but least donated items at many places that serve people in need, that Christmas gift was so well received it inspired Lucy’s daughter, Debby Shepard and her husband, Stew Shepard, to found The Drawer in 2015. In 2022, the Eagan-based nonprofit gave away about 80,000 pairs of socks and underwear, and it has been donating between 10,000–15,000 pairs each month in 2023, says Gina Lindquist, executive director of The Drawer. The organization accepts monetary donations, as well as sock and underwear donations to redistribute to their community partners.
The Drawer
Facebook: The Drawer
