Gear Up for Winter
Gear Up for Winter
Help Keep Massachusetts Children Warm This Winter
Why Support Gear up for Winter?
- 1 in 3 children in Massachusetts are at risk of Clothing Insecurity and without access to winter essentials.
- The winter essentials that Cradles to Crayons provides keep a kid healthy and warm regardless of the weather outside—or the temperature indoors.
- Children are less able to regulate their body temperature compared to adults. As a result, children are more likely to develop significant health effects when they are exposed to environmental temperature extremes.
The Need
Winter in our region can be brutally cold. As energy costs have skyrocketed in recent years, more and more households face “heat or eat” decisions this winter. Unlike food and diaper choices, families cannot change their heating source, giving them no cheaper option to switch to when money is tight. 87% of our Service Partners report that without Cradles to Crayons, they would not be able to provide basic children’s essentials at no cost to the families they work with.
1 in 3 children in Massachusetts are at risk of Clothing Insecurity and without access to winter essentials. Clothing Insecurity for children during the cold winter months means that without warm coats, appropriate clothing, and boots, children are excluded from outdoor recess at school, missing important physical exercise and playtime with peers. With your help, we can ensure we are ready to keep Massachusetts children safe and warm this winter.
Our Response
Our Gear Up for Winter initiative distributes warm coats and other essentials to families who need them most before harsh weather conditions become an emergency. This winter we will:
- Distribute 50,000 winter coats
- Distribute 52,500 packages of clothing
- Distribute 14,000 winter accessories
Other Ways to Support Gear Up for Winter
NBC and Cradles to Crayons are teaming up to make sure every child has a coat to stay warm this winter! Our Bundle Up New England program encourages you to donate new or gently-used winter coats.
Help keep our Giving Factory shelves full of the winter essentials we provide. We update the items on our Amazon Wish List every month to highlight our most needed items, so your donations are always having the biggest impact.
Sign up for a fun, hands-on volunteer shift at our Newton Giving Factory. Help process donations and package up essential items to help children get what they need this winter. Sign up with friends, family, colleagues, or as an individual!
Drop off your new or gently-used clothing and footwear—especially cold-weather items—at one of our 55+ Massachusetts drop-off locations. We’ll process your donations and distribute them to local children.