Cradles to Crayons® Backpack-A-Thon® at Staples stuffs 20,000 backpacks
May 18 2016 - 4:30PM
Business Wire
1,100 Staples associates come together for
Massachusetts children in need
At today’s Cradles to Crayons Ready for School
Backpack-A-Thon event at Staples, now in its third year, 20,000
backpacks were assembled with 440,000 new school supplies by 1,100
Staples employee volunteers at their Framingham Headquarters and
loaded onto trucks for distribution to children in Framingham,
Lynn, Springfield, and Worcester. In partnership with school
districts and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metrowest, Cradles to
Crayons will ensure these no-cost resources are delivered to
communities with the greatest need in Massachusetts, providing
local children with the necessary school supplies to help them
succeed this year.
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1,100 Staples associates stuffed 20,000
backpacks for local students in need at the Cradles to Crayons
Backpack-A-Thon at Staples Headquarters to be distributed to
families in Framingham, Lynn, Springfield, and Worcester. (Photo:
Business Wire)
Staples is the only corporate partner to date to work with
Cradles to Crayons to replicate the nonprofit’s signature assembly
line packing event—now in its tenth year—held annually at Boston
City Hall Plaza. Staples’ support allows Cradles to Crayons to
expand their reach to serve children in MetroWest and Central
Massachusetts. In three years, Staples has cumulatively packed and
distributed 56,000 backpacks to low-income and homeless children,
exemplifying their commitment to making a difference in the
communities where their customers and associates live and work.
Additionally, Cradles to Crayons has been a long-standing
recipient of funding through Staples’ 2 Million & Change
program—a philanthropic initiative created by the Staples
Foundation for associates around the world to direct funding for
nonprofit organizations they are passionate about and which are
dedicated to education or job skills. Many Staples associates have
nominated Cradles to Crayons for funding through this program and
Staples has awarded them the top grant amount of $25,000 for three
consecutive years in support of their Ready for School
program.
“This year Cradles to Crayons will distribute 60,000 backpacks
to kids who need them most. 20,000 backpacks will come from
Staples. We are incredibly thankful for their commitment to helping
children arrive on their first day of school with tools they need
to succeed,” said Lynn Margherio, Cradles to Crayons’ Founder and
CEO. “Without school supplies, the children we serve might stay
home from school or be unable to fully participate in their school
day. Staples is making sure that 20,000 Massachusetts children feel
prepared to learn.”
"Springfield has neighborhoods where more than 80% of children
are living in poverty. The reality is that Springfield Public
Schools is a high poverty-rate district,” said Azell Cavaan,
Springfield Public Schools' Chief Communications Officer. “Our
partnership with Cradles to Crayons and Staples will put 6,200
backpacks in the hands of Springfield children who need these
supplies to engage in their classrooms and with their classmates.
Working together makes our community stronger—creating a place
where all students, despite socio-economic background, have the
items they need to start the school year off right."
Lynn Margherio and John Burke, Staples Senior Vice President,
Chief Culture Officer, and Staples Foundation Board President were
joined at the event by Dr. Catherine Latham, Superintendent of Lynn
Public Schools; Dr. Frank Tiano, Assistant Superintendent of
Framingham Public Schools; Azell Cavaan, Chief Communications
Officer of Springfield Public Schools; Bob Jennings, District
Wraparound Zone Coordinator, Worcester; and Paul Joseph, President
and CEO, MetroWest Chamber of Commerce.
“Helping students get ready for the new school year is one of
Staples’ proudest accomplishments each summer,” said John Burke,
Staples Chief Culture Officer. “The Cradles to Crayons
Backpack-A-Thon event fits perfectly with our corporate
philanthropy mission, which focuses on education initiatives. We
provide the needed school supplies and enthusiastic volunteers to
help thousands of students in our community get ready for
school.”
Cradles to Crayons will serve 145,000 children this year—70,000
through the Ready for School program—providing year-round
supply packages of critically needed items like clothing, shoes,
and books distributed from The Giving Factory in Brighton. The
unique model connects communities that have children’s essentials
with those that need them. Additionally, Cradles to Crayons’
volunteer opportunities—like the tenth annual Backpack-A-Thon in
August and ongoing volunteer time at The Giving Factory—will
educate more than 38,000 local children and adults about the
problem of poverty and homelessness, mobilizing them to become part
of the solution. The Ready for School program—June 1 through
September 30—promotes the importance of preparing the whole child
for school from head to toe and generates 40,000 backpacks at
Backpack-A-Thon, the initiative’s featured fundraising event.
About Cradles to CrayonsCradles to Crayons is a national
nonprofit organization with locations in Boston, Philadelphia, and
Chicago that 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. Cradles to Crayons
supplies these items free of charge by engaging and connecting
communities that have with communities that need, collecting new
and like-new children's items through grassroots community drives
and corporate donations. Donations are processed and packaged by
volunteers at warehouses called “Giving Factories” and are
distributed to children through a collaborative network of social
service agencies and school partners. For more information, visit
www.cradlestocrayons.org.
About Staples Community and GivingStaples contributes to
educational and job-related community efforts with a primary focus
on disadvantaged youth, from literacy and mentoring to career
skills development, through in-kind and monetary donations and
grants from Staples Foundation, the private charitable arm of
Staples, Inc. Through its community and giving efforts, Staples has
helped thousands of organizations in 26 countries. For more
information, visit www.staples.com/community.
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Cradles to CrayonsKirsten Sims,
617-779-4571Cell:
617-515-7381ksims@cradlestocrayons.orgorStaplesBecky
Sail, 508-253-2933Cell:
518-573-5205Rebecca.Sail@staples.com
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