Help Us End Clothing Insecurity!
20 million kids across the U.S. lack access to affordable, appropriate clothing.
Join us in our mission to #EndClothingInsecurity so one day all children will have the essentials they need for a safe and healthy childhood.
Donate a Coat. Keep a Child Warm.
Cradles to Crayons’ Gear Up for Winter initiative distributes warm coats—and other winter essentials like clothing, hats, gloves, and boots—to children who need them most before harsh weather conditions become an emergency.
Support Gear Up for Winter locally:
Boston Chicago Philadelphia
Not located near any of our locations? Learn more.
Find a Local Dropoff
With supporters across the United States, Cradles to Crayons works to fight Children’s Clothing Insecurity directly in Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia and focuses on raising awareness about this urgent crisis nationally.
Since 2002, we have supplied nearly six million packages of basic essentials like clothing, shoes, diapers, and school supplies to children who don’t have access to these critical resources. You can help us provide everyday essentials to local children in need by finding a local drop off near you.
Fund the Cause
Just $33 serves one child head-to-toe.
Financial support from individuals, families, and companies sustains our work year round.
Volunteer in the Giving Factory
We work with tens of thousands of families, individuals, community groups, and corporate volunteers in our Giving Factories and at community-based events to provide more than 500,000 packages of essential items to children every year.
Learn How You Can Help
Host a Local Drive
In households across your community, there are closets, drawers and shelves full of new or like-new children’s clothes and books that are not being used.
By hosting a product collection drive for Cradles to Crayons, either in-house or out in the community, you help get these items to kids who desperately need them.
For more than two decades, you’ve helped build a community-powered model that makes high-quality clothing accessible for kids who need it most, with dignity at its core. Now, we’re sharing what comes next. Cradles to Crayons has officially launched our Strategic Plan, Every Child Deserves to Thrive: Closing the Clothing Gap by 2031 — and we want you to be part of it.
With 800,000+ volunteers and partners behind us, our five-year plan will double our impact.
Every Child Deserves Clothing That Fits, Feels Good, and Makes Them Feel Ready for Life.
Learn about the reality of Clothing Insecurity and the life-changing difference proper clothing can make for children and families.
Watch Material Impact, a 16-minute documentary that brings this hidden challenge to life through the stories of families, volunteers, and communities working together to ensure every child has what they need to thrive.
Mission Moments
Hear from our community, see our impact, and discover the stories that drive our mission.
5 Things That Surprise First-Time Volunteers at Cradles to Crayons
If you’re like me, you’ll never forget walking into a Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory for the...
The Silent Barrier Keeping Kids Out of School (It’s Not What You Think)
What does it mean when a child has to make themselves invisible just to get through a school day?...
How to Organize a Clothing Drive for Local Kids
There are children across the country currently facing clothing insecurity, lacking access to...
