Some individuals with autism have an obsession with ripping shirts that have any imperfection in them. When this is paired with chewing on shirts, individuals can go through hundreds of shirts a year. For adults whose only income is SSI, the cost is unsustainable, particularly if their families are not in a position to help.

Please help us to help them. We are seeking donations of clean, unstained, and untorn shirts: t-shirts, long-sleeved t-shirts, polos, whatever. Adult large and extra-large are the most useful, but we will take medium as well. You can drop off shirts in the plastic totes at 22 Willowdale Rd., in Winchester, or 855 Oxford St. South, in Auburn. If you want to set up a collection site at your organization or school, that’s great, too — just email us at AHPhousing@comcast.net, so we can help get the word out, and discuss how we can get the shirts.

If your family member with a disability in Massachusetts needs shirts, please email us. Once shirts start coming in, we can figure out an equitable system for distributing them.

Catherine Boyle — Autism Housing Pathways

Cheryl Ryan Chan — Community 4 Each