Cradles To Crayons Receives $20K Donation To Help Children In Need
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The cold snap and the holiday season are reminders about a local effort to make some children in need happy, safe and warm at home, at school and at play.
At their West Conshohocken Giving Factory, Cradles to Crayons Executive Director Michal Smith's volunteers had a boatload of items to organize for thousands of area children living in low-income or homeless situations.
"We know the name of the child, the age of the child, even what size feet they've got," Smith said.
She says they individually bundle everything a child between birth to 12 years old might wear or use, including new or gently used winter clothing.
"This year alone, in the winter season, we'll go through about 12,000 winter coats, and probably about 40,000 pairs of pants," Smith explained.
To help Cradles to Crayons' Gear Up for Winter program, Bank of America Philadelphia Market President Jim Dever presented a $20,000 check on Wednesday.
"Certainly poverty in Philadelphia is a huge issue," Dever said, "and Cradles to Crayons is just doing fabulous work."
Cradles says its aim is to help youngsters transition from acute poverty to a brighter future.
It partners with about 300 social services agencies, including shelters, schools and foster homes that provide direct help to children. They order items for individual children in their care, and pick them up three days later. Orders to meet emergency needs are filled within 24-hours.
