Volunteers Donate Their Time On MLK Day For Underprivileged Children In Philadelphia Area
By Brad Segall
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (CBS) -- More than 200 people donated their time on Martin Luther King Junior Day of Service at the Cradles To Crayons warehouse in Montgomery County to help underprivileged kids throughout the area.
Tables, bins and crates inside the 16,000 square-foot warehouse were filled to the brim with coats, hats, clothing, shoes and sneakers, along with toys and books. Volunteers were sorting and packing bags that will be distributed to disadvantaged kids in the city and the suburbs. Executive Director Michal Smith says the packs contain essentials for a week.
"Five pairs of pants, five tops, new socks, new underwear," she says. "We try to put accessories in for children if we can find them, baseball caps and that kind of thing."
Smith says nearly 190,000 kids in the five county area are living in poverty and the organization relies heavily on donations and volunteers throughout the year to meet the growing need.
"We rely on 1,200 volunteers a month here in order to do what we do," she says. "And this is really the kickoff day for that activity which goes on year round."
Smith also believes that this Day of Service will result in the largest single collection day in the organization's history with numerous firehouses, business and community centers throughout the area collecting new and nearly new items for children living in low-income and homeless situations.
