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Purpose/Mission: Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school and at play. They supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities that have with communities that need.

Constituency served: More than 305,000 children ages 0-12 are living in low-income or poverty stricken households in Massachusetts. In September 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that approximately half of the children in the United States live in poverty or low-income situations. Cradles to Crayons is a statewide organization that serves children up to age 12 who are living in homeless and low-income situations. Of the children they serve, approximately one-half of KidPack recipients live in Boston and the Greater Boston area, as well as high need areas in Western Massachusetts.

Brief history: Founder and CEO Lynn Margherio saw the opportunity for Cradles to Crayons while visiting her family over the holidays in 2001. She noticed her nieces’ and nephews’ toys and clothes piled high in the playroom and closets, in perfectly good condition, but no longer being used. From these and similar experiences, C2C was shaped by a vision that existing community resources could be leveraged to benefit economically disadvantaged children, bridging the gap between those who have too much and those who do not have enough.
In 2002, Cradles to Crayons officially opened its doors in Quincy, Massachusetts, and after five successful years providing critically needed items to local disadvantaged children, the Cradles to Crayons model was expanded to help children in Philadelphia, PA. In 2011, they relocated the Massachusetts Giving Factory to a larger space in Brighton with the goal of doubling their impact over the next three years. C2C’s unique business model provides an avenue through which children’s products in good and working condition can be recycled in a socially and environmentally responsible way.

Current news: This fall, in time for the start of the 2012 academic year, C2C will distribute more than 30,000 brand-new backpacks filled with school supplies to disadvantaged children in school systems across the Commonwealth. Hundreds of volunteers unite in service to package individual backpacks at the Backpack-A-Thon event on Boston’s City Hall Plaza. This year, the 6th annual Backpack-A-Thon will take place on Friday, August 10, where they hope to engage more than 600 volunteers to fill 30,000 backpacks.

Impact on Cambridge community: In 2011, with the support of 12 Cambridge social service partners,  C2C was able to provide more than 1,000 Cambridge children with KidPacks, and more than 500 Cambridge children with backpacks filled with indispensable school supplies. Cradles to Crayons has also engaged hundreds of Cambridge residents and businesses in tangible volunteer opportunities at the Giving Factory. Statewide, in 2011 C2C leveraged more than 24,000 volunteers to fill and distribute 28,000 brand new backpacks and more than 27,000 KidPacks to children living in low-income or homeless situations.

Proudest accomplishment: Cradles to Crayons has worked to alleviate some of the effects of poverty on the children they serve. Over the years, they have distributed more than 290,000 customized packages of essential items to disadvantaged Massachusetts children, including 127,000 backpacks filled with brand new school supplies.

Future plans/goals: Cradles to Crayons’ overarching goal is to eliminate the effects of child poverty throughout the Commonwealth. Their short term goal is to continue connecting communities of need with communities of plenty. Last year, C2C engaged more than 24,000 volunteers to fill 55,000 packages. In 2012, C2C aims to: distribute more than 60,000 packages; engage more than 25,000 volunteers in the Giving Factory warehouse; coordinate 950 product collection drives throughout the state. By 2015, Cradles to Crayons aims to provide more than 75,000 packages to Massachusetts’ most vulnerable children.

Greatest need: 1) Children’s items such as clothing, books, toys, shoes, boots, winter coats, arts & crafts supplies, baby safety equipment.
2) Financial support
3) Volunteers—Donate your time to help support in-need local children.

Get involved: Cradles to Crayons would love to host members of Cambridge’s business community. If interested in scheduling a corporate volunteer visit please contact Angela Martano, Corporate Volunteer Coordinator, for more information (angela@cradlestocrayons.org).

Contact: The Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory is located at 155 North Beacon Street in Brighton or www.cradlestocrayons.org.