On November 16, all eighteen members of the Sensible Financial team met at the Cradles to Crayons Newton warehouse for our third annual volunteer day there. Volunteering together is special, and a wonderful way to begin the holiday season.
The firm made a generous donation to Cradles which will provide everything 60 children need from head to toe. Some team members also brought gently used clothing to donate, while others contributed by completing an Outfit Pack which provides a week’s worth of clothing to a child.
But the most important part to us was the time together at the warehouse. Over a two-hour shift, we collected clothing and other supplies to fulfill orders in the Shopping Station. This area is the culmination of Cradles’ hard work to collect clothing, books, shoes, boots, and hygiene staples to protect children from clothing insecurity. Social workers from organizations in the region send in their lists of needs for specific children in schools and shelters. Then volunteers in the Shopping Station select and pack hundreds of items into large bins for shipping. We loved volunteering in a new area at Cradles and working together to help complete these orders. Toward the end of our shift, we also replenished the Shopping Station with donations from other areas of the warehouse.
The idea for Cradles to Crayons came to Boston business strategist Lynn Margherio when she was visiting her family for the holidays in 2001. As she was helping her little niece get dressed, she noticed the dresser was full of too-small clothes that had rarely, if ever, been worn. Lynn started thinking of a way to get those clothes to parents who couldn’t afford new clothes for their kids. The next year she founded Cradles to Crayons. The organization’s vision is to create a future where “every child will have the essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued.” More than two decades later, Cradles now provides clothes and essential supplies for babies and kids up to age 12 in Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
Anne Smith commented: “We have come to love our tradition of volunteering together at Cradles and it is a great way for new staff at Sensible to engage with the team. Olivia Harrison joined us recently and this was her first time at Cradles.”
After the visit, Olivia said “It was nice to do something for the community that was going to make a difference in the children’s lives.”
Please join us in helping Cradles to Crayons provide clothes to kids this holiday season! You can volunteer your time, host a clothing drive, or donate new or lightly used items. Cradles is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your donations are tax deductible.
Photo credit: Sensible Financial Planning and Management