We have a new charity partner!
This March, we are kicking off our buy 1 pair, donate 1 pair of Pals charity program with Cradles to Crayons of Philadelphia! Cradles to Crayons describes itself as ”the product of countless small acts of kindness that, together, make a big difference.” The non-profit organization collects new and nearly new infant and children’s clothing, shoes, books, toys and school supplies. When we initially reached out, Molly (the lovely development coordinator) was very very excited to partner with us! As it turns out, new socks are hard to come by. For us, it was a perfect opportunity to clear out the excess socks in our warehouse and in the process add a little bit of happiness and normalcy to a child’s day by giving them cool, new socks to wear.

We had a chance to visit the Cradles to Crayons warehouse (also known as the Giving Factory) in Consohocken, PA. Hannah, our founder, got the full tour and saw the donation process in action!

HANNAH, OWNER AND FOUNDER OF PALS, MEETING WITH MOLLY KRAUSE,
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR OF CRADLES TO CRAYONS

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WAREHOUSE IS A LITTLE EVENT STAGE WITH COLORFUL FACE POSTERS,
REMINDERS OF THE ORGANIZATION’S REASON FOR BEING

PANORAMA OF SORTING TABLES AND THE GIVING FACTORY MOTTO, “QUALITY = DIGNITY”

SOCIAL WORKERS CAN REQUEST KITS FULL OF ITEMS THAT A CHILD MIGHT NEED.  THESE BAGS ARE LABELLED AND READY FOR PICK UP

IN ADDITION TO WEARABLES, KIDS CAN GET SCHOOL SUPPLIES LIKE PENS AND PENCILS

INSPIRING A LOVE FOR READING AND LEARNING IS IMPORTANT! BOOKS ARE COLLECTED
AND ORGANIZED INTO THOUGHTFUL, AGE APPROPRIATE BUNDLES

MOLLY FROM CRADLES TO CRAYONS AND A VOLUNTEER POSE WITH OUR FIRST DONATION BOX,
150 PAIRS OF PALS SOCKS! IMAGINE ALL THE FEET THEY WILL MAKE HAPPIER!

It is no secret that systemic poverty is a gigantic and devastating problem with discrimination and politics at its roots. Our city of Philadelphia happens to have the highest rate of poverty per capita of any city in the US. Yes, nearly 1 in 4 children in this city live under the poverty line. That translates to around 130,000 children. It is absolutely heartbreaking to think about.

The cycle of poverty is extremely hard to escape. Children living in poverty typically lack access to the educational, economic and social resources needed for anyone to be able to succeed.  We at Pals, working with and through organizations like Cradles to Crayons, want to help inspire citizens that want to help others rise up, who want to leave the world a better place than they found it, and who want to inspire others by example. Having access to new, good quality clothes can give a child a new sense of self-worth, normalcy and self-esteem. Owning books and receiving school supplies makes it a little easier to succeed in academia. They could ease a social worker’s burden too, by freeing up time to create plans for these kids instead of having to focus on basic necessities (such as making sure a kid has clean clothes to attend school.)

For all the reasons above, we stand behind Cradles to Crayon’s mission and are excited to serve and inspire the underserved kids of Philadelphia.

The post Pals Introduces our 2018 Buy 1, Donate 1 Charity Program With Cradles to Crayons! appeared first on Pals Socks - Unlikely Friends for Your Feet!.