Hanes Partners with Super Soul Party in Super Bowl Experience for Homeless
For many across America, and even across the globe, the Super Bowl is quite the event. People gather together, eat entirely too many chicken wings, and might even sit down to actually cheer for one of the two teams competing for the Lombardi trophy.
But for others, like Meir Kay, it’s an opportunity.
In 2017, Kay encountered a homeless man with a sign not asking for food, but simply to be seen. After a sit-down meal and some conversation, Kay created a nonprofit, Super Soul Party. It gives the homeless population a safe place to connect with their community.
According to the nonprofit’s website, “We focus on the HOME and not the LESS by facilitating moments of connection between guests with homes and without, serving hot, nourishing food, giving warm clothing, offering haircuts and providing housing and social services at every event.”
On Super Bowl Sunday this year, HanesBrands (HBI) partnered with the foundation for the first time in Hanes’ history. The apparel manufacturer sponsored dignity bags filled with socks, sweatshirts, and other necessities for 500 homeless people who attended Super Soul parties across the country.
“We loved the authenticity of Meir’s story about how Super Soul Party started,” explains Nicole Ducouer, director, Corporate Communications and Community Engagement for HanesBrands. “HBI is committed to creating a more comfortable world for every body. We’re strengthening the communities where we live and work by focusing on comfort, inclusion, and health.”
A Safe Place for Humanity
Eight simultaneous parties took place across the country on Super Bowl Sunday. Each provided comfort and essentials to hundreds of homeless people. “These parties offer people who are homeless a meal, a haircut, and a chance to socialize during a football game,” said Kay in a press release. “Simply put, it offers humanity.”
Ducouer notes that HBI is exploring opportunities to partner with Super Soul Party in the future. “We donate product to communities in need all over the world,” she says. “This event goes beyond the product and brings humanity to a group of people often overlooked. Our Hanes for Good program has provided millions of socks to people who are homeless. We are happy to donate socks and sweatshirts for the ‘dignity bags’ given to homeless participants at parties across the country.”