In February, The Reva and David Logan Foundation (RDLF) team volunteered at the Cradles to Crayons (C2C) warehouse, otherwise known as The Giving Factory, to pack donated clothes for infants and children.
At the start of our shift, C2C volunteer leaders emphasized that Quality = Dignity, and instructed us on what that means when packing clothes. Every volunteer performs quality checks on donated clothing – if they wouldn’t gift it to their niece or nephew, then it gets set aside for textile recycling. No donation goes to waste. C2C is also conscientious about the content on clothing – any words or phrases about a family member are omitted from the packing pile, because it would be careless to assume a child’s family dynamics.
Members of our team split up into different stations with bins of shirts, pants, sweaters, and dresses. We curated and packed outfit combinations according to C2C’s instructions, with each set containing enough clothes for one week. Some team members took the style and aesthetic of each set very seriously, while others focused on efficiency – but everyone clearly enjoyed contributing to C2C’s mission. At the end of our two-hour shift, C2C reported that we, along with another set of volunteers, had packed enough clothing sets for 140 children.
The clothes packed by volunteers are distributed to children throughout the community through C2C’s network of service partners, which includes over 60 nonprofit organizations and churches in Chicago. In 2022, they reached 219,000 children.
Outside of volunteering, the RDLF has supported C2C since 2019 through general operating grants. We also provided emergency funding during the pandemic, when the needs of those they serve skyrocketed. In just the few years that we’ve partnered with them, they’ve set ambitious goals and doubled the amount of children they serve. This year, we will also partner with C2C for part of our Winter Wear Program in order to increase our impact on children in elementary schools.