“A towel, [The Guide] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” – Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Towel Day (May 25) started as a worldwide celebration to honor the memory of the late Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (the book from which we get our name).

When the People’s City Mission told us about their shortage of towels, we engineered a towel drive around this celebrated date to help address their easily overlooked need.

With everyone’s help, we collected 2,524 towels during Towel Day 2025.

If you would like more information about hosting a collection barrel for Towel Day 2026, let us know at towelday@dontpaniclabs.com.

Towel with the Don't Panic Labs logo embroidered on it

How You Can Help

There are three big ways we can work together to meet this important need for the Mission:

Spread the word to your family, friends, and workplaces.

Donate new or used towels at one of the public collection sites.

If you’d rather give money for towels, head over to the People’s City Mission donation page.

Towel Day 2025 logo

Remember that People’s City Mission needs towels all year round, not just on Towel Day. They accept new or used towels anytime throughout the year.