On a Tuesday around 1pm, you would typically find Sapers & Wallack employees either working diligently at their desks or away at client meetings…but not this day! On October 27th, our whole office could be found at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory in Brighton, MA. It is here where we would continue on our company’s charitable initiative and donate our time to the Cradles to Crayons cause. The staff of Cradles to Crayons is an amazing group of people who are truly passionate about what they do. Their mission is to provide children from birth through age twelve, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they require to thrive at home, at school, and at play. These items include basics such as everyday clothing, school supplies, winter clothes, books, hygiene kits, birthday gifts and more.
As volunteers, it was our mission to go “shopping” for these children in need. Other volunteers had already done an exceptional job inspecting and sorting the various items into different categories and size ranges. It became our job to process and put together as many care packages as we could. We started by grabbing a piece of paper with a child’s name, age, clothing sizes, and most importantly, their wish list. It was then time to grab our carriages and run off with a burst of energy to make that wish list a reality. In between the laughs and fun of weaving around our co-workers in a playfully competitive spirit, we collected everything we could find on the list, brought the completed order back to the front desk, and had the packages wrapped for each child in need.
As much fun as we were having, we all had moments throughout the day when we arrived at bins to find them empty—realizing that some of these kids on our lists might not get the winter coat they needed or the size four boots they were asking for. I want to commend Cradles to Crayons for bringing happiness to so many, but want to point out also that they are always in need of more donations. It truly does make a difference to each child that receives a completed care package, bringing not just a moment of joy, but also providing a small part of necessity for both them and their families.
By the end of our visit, together as a team, we were able to bag 146 care packages for local children. This was truly an inspirational event for not just me, but for everyone on our staff. We had a blast and I would like to think it brought everyone closer not only to each other, but also to the community in which we are a part.
If you are fortunate enough to have spare resources, I encourage you to seek out your local Cradles to Crayons facility and donate your time, clothing, or other items they may need. As winter and the holiday season approaches, I will think often of this amazing organization and the many less fortunate than I who are so desperately in need of their services.
Evan Macedo
Senior Internal Accountant – Finance & Administration