Northwestern IT Gives Back: Cradles to Crayons
Following a successful first Northwestern IT Gives Back event with the Purple Pantry earlier this year, we’re at it again with our fall nonprofit—Cradles to Crayons. Join us on Wednesday, November 20 for a volunteer shift at The Giving Factory, which is working to end clothing insecurity. Sign up.
A shift at The Giving Factory will connect us to new and gently used donations that we will quality check, sort, package, and prepare to go to kids in our communities.
Driving this effort is Kate Leech, coordinator of special events, who led our efforts with the Purple Pantry earlier this year. On November 20, we are hosting this second Northwestern IT Gives Back event, planned to merge a local service effort with a chance for our staff to enjoy time engaging and socializing with colleagues. Cradles to Crayons is located at 2500 West Bradley Place in Chicago, and our shift will be 1:30–3:30 p.m. and followed by a happy hour nearby with appetizers and beverages.
Cradles to Crayons asks each volunteer to bring at least one children’s item—but there is no minimum requirement. They accept new and gently used items but ask that any gently used items be of high quality without any rips, stains, or other compromises. Cradles to Crayons firmly believes that quality donations have a direct impact on human dignity.
The most needed items are pajamas in sizes three months to adult medium, diapers in sizes zero to six, and t-shirts in sizes zero to adult medium.
All staff are welcome and encouraged to participate in the event. Anyone unable to attend the celebration who wants to contribute can bring children’s clothing to bins in the entryway lobby at 2020 Ridge, inside 1800 Sherman, Suite 1400, and the Teaching and Learning Technologies and Research Computing and Data Services office entryways. We will collect the bins on Tuesday, November 19.
About Cradles to Crayons
Cradles to Crayons was founded in 2002 and provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play—for free. Cradles to Crayons believes that all children deserve the essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued.
Childhood poverty is a critical issue in the US. An average family of four, with two adults and two children, lives on less than $26,500 a year. In Chicago, one in two children live in low-income and homeless situations.
Access to adequate and appropriate clothing is a basic human right, and without it, children face unfair barriers and operate on an unequal playing field. As part of an effort to formally recognize this issue and increase awareness, Cradles to Crayons uses the term “Clothing Insecurity" to describe this matter.
“We could not do all the work that we do without the help of volunteers,” said Emma Crumpton, community engagement coordinator at Cradles to Crayons and a Northwestern alumna. “We work with thousands of families, individuals, community groups, and companies to serve more than 100,000 children in Chicagoland annually. Since we are a small staff of around 20, volunteers are critical to our work, both in The Giving Factory and at community-based events.”
Crumpton, a 2022 Bienen grad who received her bachelor's degree in music, found her job at Cradles to Crayons via the Northwestern Public Interest Program, a post-graduate program that helps train a new generation of leaders for social change at Chicago-area nonprofits or civic organizations.