Givember 2025

At Ernest, we’ve always taken pride in helping others. It’s a value that was instilled in Ernie and Chuck Wilson from a young age by their mother, Minnie, who could always find a dime for a stranger. Despite raising two boys on her own during the Great Depression, Minnie told them, “You’ve got to realize that there’s always someone worse off than you.” That’s why giving back is an essential part of who we are, what we do and what makes Ernest different.

Since 2018, we’ve dedicated the entire month of September (aka “Givember”) to collecting one essential item. In every division, E-Teamers, vendors and our clients collect the items and they are then taken to local charities and non-profit organizations that serve the homeless. This year, the Ernest Brand Council (EBC) Alumni, our volunteer team that plans Givember every year, talked to some of our charity partners to uncover the items most in need. This year it was towels and washcloths.

While most of us take the ability to grab a towel for granted, it’s not a given for everyone. For the millions of people struggling with homelessness across the US, clean towels are a luxury that’s hard to come by. This simple household item represents more than something to dry off with at the end of a long day. It means comfort, warmth, and dignity. By sharing a basic necessity with the people who need it most, we can give them a much-needed chance at normalcy, while making them feel seen and valued.

“When we hand over the donated items to the charities we work with, they always accept the goods with open arms. It’s very heartwarming. That’s the way the world should be.”

—Ray Woods, Client Logistics Manager, Raleigh

Each year, we set a goal for how many of the item we can collect, then we get the message out to every division and our Ernest family gets to work. Knowing that towels aren’t cheap, our target this year was 6,000. Thanks to everyone pitching in at every division, we blew that out of the water, collecting nearly 12,000 towels—almost double our goal! Watch the video to see the impact.

We encourage different E-Teamers to deliver the items collected to our local charity partners each year. It’s a great way for them to see the importance of Givember and the impact they are making. Detroit Director of Client Relations Christian Failla noted, “It was great to see how Zaman empowers individuals and families in our community to go from crisis to sustainability. Getting to support their mission was such a blessing.” Sophia Hernandez, a Client Coordinator in our Salt Lake City division, adds, “My first Givember drop-off was such a sweet experience! Seeing how even small contributions can make a big impact made my heart smile.”

“Thanks to partners like Ernest, we’re able to assist people and treat them with compassion and dignity. They donated hundreds of towels that we could distribute to the homeless of our community.”

—Angela Stetsenko, Community Relations Manager, Union Gospel Mission, Sacramento

Massive thanks to everyone who donated, including E-Teamers from across the country and the vendors who also contributed. And of course, our heartfelt gratitude to all the organizations we work with that are doing good work every single day. Mama Minnie would be proud.