Cradles to Crayons (C2C) is an American non-profit organization that provides free clothes and other basic needs such as shoes, diapers, coats, and backpacks with school supplies to children living in homeless, poverty, and low-income situations.
C2C provided free clothing and other essentials to 2,000 children in its first year and later expanded physical locations, warehouses called The Giving Factory to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Chicago, Illinois.
The Giving Factory brings in corporate, school, and neighborhood volunteers, ages 5 and older, who sort Cradles to Crayons donations based on the needs of orders collected from children service partners.
Based on the success Cradles to Crayons has had at its Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago locations, in 2021 the organization created a digital clothing distribution model called Giving Factory Direct.
The Cradles To Crayons Chicago Giving Factory warehouse is similar to the size of the organization's other locations in Boston, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[citation needed] Packages are brought directly to the families free of charge, through partnerships with hundreds of social service partner agencies such as Catholic Charities, The Home for Little Wanderers, and Horizons for Homeless Children.
[6] That same month, CTC also partnered with Metropolitan Family Services in their collaboration with Walgreens, Huggies, and former Chicago Cubs catcher David Ross to distribute a $10,000 donation, and 1.5 million diapers to the younger aid receivers.
[8] Later in August, CTC teamed up with Jordans Furniture by collecting new and like-new clothing and shoes at all store locations and at the Taunton Distribution Center.
[10] In December, CTC held an event for volunteers to come into their warehouse on the Northwest side to help meet the increased demand for the holiday season.
[11] In June 2019, Cradles to Crayons teamed up with Jordans Furniture again by collecting new and like-new clothing and shoes at all store locations and at the Taunton Distribution Center.
[12] Later in August, Cradles to Crayons held an event in Chicago's Daley plaza to fill 50,000 backpacks with school supplies for homeless or low-income children.