Brotherly Love: Teen Starts Boys Pajama Drive
By Ukee Washington
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Children in crisis often arrive at shelters with just the clothes on their backs. Sometimes those shelters don't have enough clothes for boys. As Ukee Washington shows us, a high school boy wanted to do something about it. He offered to start collecting pajamas for boys so there would be enough for all the kids, and word is spreading.
William Burrough, who goes by the name "Bubba," is sorting through dozens of donated pajamas in the atrium of St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia. He started collecting pajamas in 2014 putting up flyers in his Haddon Heights neighborhood.
"Originally the goal was 200, but that year we got 400, so we doubled it," Bubba said. This year, he got the school involved.
Each pair of pajamas is going to shelters run by the Center for Family Services in Camden, which often has a shortage of boys pajamas. Jennifer Hammill of the Center For Family Services said, "and sometimes kids are coming to stay with us for just one night, and sometimes they might be staying with us for a period of years. To be able to have that warm, comforting, cozy pair of brand-new pajamas really is just something else that helps them to feel safe."
Fellow freshman Michael Glynn said he had never heard of something like this until he met Bubba, and he was happy to dive in.
"There's so many people out there that could be helped by us here at The Prep," Michael said.
It's that spirit of giving that makes Bubba special, says Sam Deitch of St. Joseph's Prep.
"It's easy when you're a teenager to become very self-involved, and Bubba is not like that," Sam said. "He's a person who cares about others."
"It's not that much," Bubba said. "Even one pair of PJs can go a long way."
Over the course of two years, Bubba has collected more than a thousand pairs of pajamas.
You can reach the Boys Pajama Drive at boyspajamadrive.com.
