Cradles to Crayons’ Gear up for Winter is focused on providing homeless and low-income children with the warm clothes, coats, boots, and other vital supplies necessary for them to survive and thrive the harsh Pennsylvania winter. Families living in poverty are struggling to pay for rent, utilities and food, so a warm coat, hat, gloves, and boots are often way out of reach and children walk to school without protection from the frigid air and cold wet snow.

During the winter of 2011-2012, we received orders for 5,000 winter coats, 3,130 winter boots, and 4,750 hats and gloves. Cradles to Crayons could not keep up with this great demand. Sadly, this meant that thousands of children were left without a high-quality, warm, and size-appropriate winter coat to keep the chill of winter away.  

This year, we anticipate a 25% growth in the number of orders that we receive for winter coats, boots, hats, and gloves. We need your help to keep up with the increasing demand.  Engage your place of work, school or community group in giving local children in-need the essentials to help them stay safe and warm this winter. 

Ready to make an impact? Follow these steps:

1. View our product donation guidelines to familiarize yourself with the types of items we need.

2. Register your drive by filling out this form. 

3. Contact Outreach Coordinator, Selen Brown, to help you with marketing materials and advertise your drive in your school, workplace, community, place of worship, or other location.

4. Hold the drive.

5. Measure your results and deliver the drive to the most convenient drop off location.

6. Celebrate your impact!