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Kansas City, MO—A female-owned jewelry store is the place to go with donations to help women in need in the Kansas City area. 

Sierra Winter Jewelry teamed up with the Kansas City chapter of I Support the Girls to collect new or gently-used bras, as well as new women’s hygiene products and new underwear. The products will be distributed through the more than 70 local organizations that I Support the Girls works with, including schools, domestic violence shelters, and more. 

Sierra Otto told KSHB-41, the local NBC TV affiliate, that response was very strong and people have come in every day of the drive with donations for the drive, which ended Saturday. From the report:

"We've had people coming in every day with bags of bras. People just don't realize what they have and what they don't wear. We're very, very happy with what people have brought in. We probably have thousands of dollars’ worth of bras. They're not cheap, a bra can be, I don't know, $19 up to $75 or $100."

Otto grew up on a ranch in the Flint Hills of Kansas, and that has always inspired her designs. From an early age, she loved to draw and collect stones on the prairie. She received a BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design from the University of Kansas and worked as a jewelry designer for Silpada Designs, before launching her eponymous line of handcrafted jewelry in 2015. 

Jeweler Sierra Otto

Philanthropy is a key part of Otto’s business. “At SWJ, we believe in empowering women, children, and men both in our community and beyond. We are committed to doing what we can to serve those in need and those doing incredible work to better the lives of others. We also hope to use the platform that we have to bring awareness to these organizations and spread the word about their missions,” says the jeweler, whose efforts have benefited more than a dozen local causes, ranging from women’s issues to combating racism to mental health and more.