Sarah Zeitler wants to get people talking about some of life's most basic necessities while making sure everyone has access to them.

The Lancaster woman is the local face of I Support the Girls, a national nonprofit that collects bras, underwear and feminine hygiene products for girls and women in need. What began for Zeitler as a simple search for a place to donate gently used bras has grown into a mission she calls both energizing and deeply personal.

"I'm very focused on changing the conversation," says Zeitler, who has two teenage daughters, ages 14 and 16. "Why don't we talk about pads and tampons? ... I tell my girls, 'You don't have to be embarrassed by this topic.' I want to help people who don't have access to products most of us take for granted."

Zeitler discovered I Support the Girls in late 2024. When she realized Lancaster no longer had an active chapter, she quickly stepped up. The hyperlocal aspect drew her in.

"I like that the bras you're giving are not going to women in another state," she said. "They're going right back to local women. I also wanted to be sure these bras were going to women in need who were going to use them."

I Support the Girls began 10 years ago when founder Dana Marlowe started the organization in the Washington, D.C., area. From one donated bra, the organization has grown to more than 40 million products donated over the past decade.

Locally, Zeitler collects donations and works with partners including Second Grace, which supports young single mothers, and River's Place, a free clothing closet at St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manheim Township. She has also begun reaching out to local doctor's offices, especially plastic surgeons, to encourage women undergoing breast surgery to donate their gently used bras.

At her job as a product manager at Armstrong, she regularly collects donations. And thanks to I Support the Girls national partnerships with major retailers like Victoria's Secret, she receives shipments of new bras to distribute.

"I like to make sure there is diversity in what I'm giving away," she said. "I want to have everything from sports bras to special occasions, from tween sizes to larger sizes."

Her work has become a family effort. Her daughters, August and Citizen, pitch in with everything from social media posts to sorting donations. They've also joined her at training sessions offered by the national nonprofit, turning the project into a shared mission of empowerment.

This year, Zeitler received a grant to create a permanent collection site in Lancaster. While she's still searching for the right location, she continues to collect donations at her home and through temporary community partners. This fall, for example, a collection bin will be available at Pocket Books, 903 Wheatland Ave., Lancaster, through October.

For Zeitler, the work is about more than just distributing products; it's about starting conversations that too often remain in the shadows.

"I'm passionate about women's causes," she said. "We have very unique needs. Men don't have to worry about having the right bras to go to work and feel professional or feel confident in their own skin. This is something I'm very passionate about, and doing this work literally energizes me."

She notes that her involvement in the project has raised her own awareness about community needs.

"Think about victims of domestic violence," she said. "The police often collect undergarments as evidence, and these women are sent home without underwear. ... Girls literally miss school because they don't have the proper hygiene products."

It's also important to Zeitler that donations stay in the local area.

"Everything that comes into us, whether it's money, hygiene products or bras, it all goes right to women and girls right here in Lancaster," she said. "This is really a boots-on-the-ground organization, and we are helping right where it's needed."

To learn more about I Support the Girls or to make a donation, email takemybras@gmail.com or search Instagram for @isupportthegirlslancasterpa. Zeitler also has an Amazon Wish List accessible at https://bit.ly/3K6eApn.