Friday, May 7, is the annual No Pants Day. It’s celebrated just as the name implies: People go about their daily routines exposing their underwear to the world.

This quirky event is believed to have been started by some students at the University of Texas, who thought it would be fun to end the semester by ditching their pants. It spun off into a No Pants Subway Ride, which is even popular in cities that do not have subways, like our next-door neighbor, Portland, Oregon. Portland has an aboveground light-rail system called the MAX. The city prides itself on being weird, so setting a day aside to ride the train sans pants fits perfectly with its culture.

Now, there’s another twist to No Pants Day for a good cause. Seven well-known cartoonist have joined forces to promote wearing less clothing as a day of giving. On Friday, May 7, their cartoons will feature characters celebrating the day in various ways but also encouraging readers to donate gently-worn or new clothing to charities who can give it to the needy. And, I suppose, you can do it while wearing no pants, if that’s your preference.

The goal is to increase donations to charities that need clothing to help those who need it. Donations to these organizations have dropped off sharply since the COVID pandemic started.

Read more about these cartoonists’ mission in this article from the Huffington Post:
Comic Strip Artists Celebrate ‘No Pants Day’ On May 7