Group of young multiracial woman with pink ribbons in support of breast cancer awareness.
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Penn State Health Bra Donation Supports Women in Need and Promotes Breast Health
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Asia Tabb
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Group of young multiracial woman with pink ribbons in support of breast cancer awareness.
AIRED; August 19, 2025
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Penn State Health employees recently collected and donated more than 250 bras to women in need across Carlisle, Shippensburg, and Harrisburg — a project that not only meets a basic need but also spreads awareness about affordable breast cancer screenings.
The initiative was inspired by the Brem Foundation’s “Re-Bra” program, which encourages people to donate gently used bras. Each bra is sanitized and paired with a bilingual tag in English and Spanish that provides information about timely mammograms and how to access low-cost screenings.
“BREM is a group that encourages people to promote good breast health … The bras are then sanitized, given a message with a little card in English and Spanish encouraging people to get their mammograms timely and how to do it if you cannot afford one,” explained Stacy Maksin of Penn State Health.
Beyond health awareness, the donation addresses an overlooked but urgent need. Beth Kemp, who works daily with women experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cumberland County, said undergarments are among the least-donated yet most-requested items.
“One of the frequently needed items are those that help with esteem and dignity. And that’s undergarments, which are rarely donated … We have moms fleeing domestic violence, women trying to prepare for job searches, and it’s obvious they need a bra. To have these items available really gives hope to people that they can turn a corner out of a really dark space,” Kemp said.
For some women, simply receiving a bra carried deep emotional weight. Kemp recalled one woman who approached her in tears, embarrassed to even voice the request. “She whispered it to me. I was like, oh my goodness, this is absolutely fine. And we had such a beautiful variety to offer her. With those sweet little notes on them, it really sank in for her that somebody thought about her.”
Stacy emphasized that pairing the donation with breast health resources was just as important. “We want to make sure that everyone, regardless of their ability to read English or not, has access to those pertinent resources so we can help people mobilize before things are an issue … This is a great way to combine the two,” she said.
The bras are being distributed through shelters in Carlisle, Shippensburg, and Harrisburg, as well as through street outreach across rural Cumberland County. Kemp explained that spreading the donations across multiple communities was essential: “It’s a misnomer that homelessness affects one particular region. It affects every community … Sometimes just being able to offer something as basic as a bra, along with a shower, can shift how a woman feels about herself. It’s a small thing that can restore dignity and build trust.”
For both organizations, the project demonstrates how practical aid and compassionate outreach can intersect with vital health education — creating ripples of impact far beyond the initial donation.
“Most of the people we work with are on the edge of survival. This infuses the opportunity for a future for them,” Kemp said.
