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Philadelphia MLK Jr Day: Non-profit hosts weekend of service, providing for children in need

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Published  January 13, 2024 11:22pm EST
Equity and Inclusion
FOX 29 Philadelphia

Non-profit hosts weekend of service, providing for children in need

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, a non-profit holds a weekend of service, with a mission to support children living in poverty, helping them look and feel their best by providing them with quality clothing and essential items.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. - In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, Cradles to Crayons is holding a weekend of service.

The nonprofit’s mission supports children living in poverty to help them look and feel their best by providing them with quality clothing and essential items.

Saturday, collections took place at the Spring Valley YMCA and in Conshohocken at the Community Center. Everything from brand-new coats and shoes to lightly worn clothing for girls and boys were donated by the bundles.

"We have studies that show three in five children in the Greater Philadelphia area are facing clothing insecurity," said Kirsten Vogelsong, C2C Manager of Volunteers. "It’s not government funded, so we are here to bridge that gap for families so they can feel good being able to provide for their children."

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C2C is also hosting hundreds of community members who signed up to volunteer at the C2C Giving Factory. The volunteers emptied bags of clothing, checked them for quality and sorted them out by gender and age.

One of the groups volunteering is Phi Nu Alpha, which is a military spouse’s sorority.

"It warms me to know that we are helping out as many kids in our community as we can," said Nadira Madison, Phi Nu Alpha National Vice President. "We just love it because we know we’re playing a part in making sure our children are warm, have clothing, have shoes and it helps strengthen these children’s minds and body. Helps them know that people out here care for them."

C2C Executive Director Michal Smith says Philadelphia has the highest rate of deep poverty of any large city in the U.S. This year C2C expects to serve 300-thousand children. Smith said donating is as easy as shopping the C2C Amazon Wishlist.

"We have a load of items under $15 that you can purchase and send to our warehouse. It’s our "I have a Dream" pack. We have books, we have socks, we have underwear - those vitally needed basic essentials for kids in need," said Smith. "As Martin Luther King said, anyone can be great because everyone can serve."

On Sunday, donations will be collected between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tredyffrin Township Building in Berwyn.

There will be nearly 30 drop-off locations available on Monday, January 15 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. which can be found by clicking here.