Last month, on October 19th, ten members from Temple University’s American Marketing Association (TU-AMA) had the opportunity to return to The Giving Factory and volunteer with Cradles to Crayons (C2C)! At the event, we learned that lack of proper clothing is one of the top ten reasons kids miss school. At The Giving Factory, Cradles to Crayons works to deliver quality clothing and supplies to disadvantaged youth to combat clothing insecurity in the Philadelphia community. Cradles to Crayons operates across three major cities: Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia, serving over 1.7 million children within these programs.
Upon arrival at The Giving Factory, our TU-AMA members learned about the impact that they would be contributing to the Philadelphia community through their time that evening. We were assigned a C2C group leader, and given an overview of the tasks at hand to be completed. Our members helped out by loading 600+ backpacks onto trucks and vans to be delivered to children at local schools. We also gathered donations from outside and brought them into the factory for a rough sort. Thanks to our numerous volunteers and efficient work, we quickly moved onto a more detailed quality control sort with the same batch of donations. Participating in multiple steps of the process demonstrated to members the level of care put into preparing the clothing packs for each child.
TU-AMA members felt inspired after seeing the abundance of new clothing and supplies donated to the factory. It was rewarding to sift through donations, knowing the clothes would eventually be delivered to children and reduce the stress of clothing insecurity from their lives. Registering to volunteer at The Giving Factory is a simple process and can be done individually or with a group through its website. Volunteers can expect to work for two hours accomplishing a variety of tasks, depending on what section is most in need. Overall, our TU-AMA members had a great experience volunteering at the Giving Factory and we look forward to returning soon as a group!
