Cordell Teacher And Community Donate Hundreds Of Pajamas For City Rescue Mission Children

Families staying at the City Rescue Mission in downtown Oklahoma City will go to bed on Friday in a new pair of pajamas. All thanks to an elementary teacher in Cordell who saw a need and a generous community.

On any given night, the City Rescue Mission could see up to 150 children, some coming with only the clothes they were wearing. The donated pajamas are theirs to keep even after they leave the shelter.

Pajamas are often forgotten during donation season.

“Our kiddos need something to sleep in,” said Ashley Ehrhart with City Rescue Mission.

Now, they are in abundant supply at the City Rescue Mission. Chanda Powers and her husband Travis Powers dropped off the largest donation of pajamas in the history of their yearly pajama drive.

“We started in 2014,” said Chanda Powers, a Cordell teacher.  

The idea came to Powers after reading a flyer for a book club.

“For every pair of pajamas that were donated, that somebody would get a free book,” said Powers. “A child in need would get a free book.”

The Cordell elementary teacher collected 45 pairs of pajamas in the first year. Each year, the donations grew.

“I don’t know what happened, but it just went crazy with donations,” said Powers. “We have church groups, we have businesses, we have organizations.”

Some of the largest donors are Powers’ husband’s coworkers.

“I hit a lot of people up at work about it and a lot of them donate to the cause,” said Travis Powers, Cordell resident.

This year, the donations filled two large bins. Enough pajamas to clothe hundreds of children and mothers for months to come.

“We had 646 donated this year,” said Powers.

Making a child's night a little more comfortable.

“Knowing they’re going to have a warm pair of pajamas to wear to sleep at night makes a huge difference in their lives,” said Ehrhart.

During the cold months, the City Rescue Mission needs donations of coats and warm clothing not only for the children but also for adults.

The Powers said they take pajama donations year-round, but the donations really pick up in October. They plan to continue the pajama drive as long as they can.