The families we serve need your support more than ever to stay warm this winter. While we are proud of our accomplishments in 2009—serving 45,000 children in need with the help of over 10,000 volunteers—orders for children's coats are up 61% over this time last year. This upswing in demand combined with a lack of inventory is impeding our efforts to keep every child safe and warm this winter. Without your help, approximately 1,800 children will have to go without. We need your help: Help to keep a local child warm this season by donating a new or gently used coat to a nearby donation location.
We are honored that First Lady Diane Patrick is chairing our Gearing Up for Winter campaign this year. Learn more about the overall initiative and watch our friends at Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia, who were recently featured on ABC's Good Morning America. Visit the page, and click on "'GMA' Warm Coats Drive Totals 209,217 With One Day Left."
Our thoughts and hearts remain with our neighbors in Haiti who have lost so much and are struggling to survive in the aftermath of last week’s devastating earthquake. Cradles to Crayons is being contacted by our volunteers and our community members who are interested in learning how they can help the quake survivors and contribute to the ongoing relief effort. Our advice: the most immediate and direct support is to make a financial donation to the relief effort. If a community member really wants to focus on a drive, we highly recommend that they first research the organization’s website before embarking on a collection drive to learn what they need most and whether they have the capacity to handle in-kind donations. Click here to read more about how you can help the victims of Haiti's earthquake.