On Towel Day, May 25, 2020, The Turkish Towel Company will donate a towel to Western Carolina Rescue Mission (WCRM) for every towel sold on their website. The Fletcher-based company aims to raise awareness of the shelter’s increasing need for basic items, especially during a pandemic, and help increase donations of items like towels, detergent and bleach.
Towel Day is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute to Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. On Towel Day, fans carry their towels with them in reference to the Guide’s assertion that “a towel… is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.”
In recognition of Towel Day, WCRM is creating a video showing the many ways a towel can be used.
“The people who stay at our shelters are so resourceful. I was inspired after watching one of our guests turn a towel into a tote bag,” says Jessica May, Director of Development at WCRM. “We are in an uncertain time, with everyone — including WCRM — sheltering in place. Because of this, we’ve seen a dip in in-kind donations. This online event will help us to continue to provide the necessities of life these individuals need as they pick up the pieces and move forward in a healthy, positive way.”
“In the book, the towel has both practical and psychological value, as it provides warmth, can be used for multiple purposes and offers a sense of home, no matter where you are,” states Barton Brass, CEO of The Turkish Towel Company. “We thought Towel Day was an excellent opportunity to help raise awareness about the need for towels in our community. For every towel we sell on Towel Day, we will match it to help ensure that all men and women staying at the WCRM have fresh, quality towels.”
Around the world, the day is marked with pictures posted by people of their towels with a #TowelDay hashtag on social media.