Cradles to Crayons

This is a GREAT place.
Super user friendly, the warehouse is less than one year old, and very nice. They but a good amount of effort into making this place look nice.
Tons of stuff… and TONS of help needed.
All in all, a great place that I would most definitely return.

They do wonderful things, BUT don’t for the love of god don’t give them your email. They email incessantly and getting off their email list is almost impossible. That’s why I’m giving them a low review

They’re not nice people

Volunteering at its finest. Cradles to Crayons is an amazing place to give something back to the world… spending time sorting donations, loading trucks, making wish list bags for children who need and deserve them… it’s all a very «feel good» experience. The people working at C2C were all very enthusiastic about the process and were so appreciative of all the help. Definitely check out this place if you want to give back to the community, they’re always looking for help and you’ll feel pretty awesome after spending a few hours here.

I don’t like kids. They freak me out. I don’t know how to talk to them. I don’t relate to them. I’m super grossed out when they eat, and fart, and drool.
But today, I volunteered at Cradles to Crayons because my office at a part-​time job was doing it, and I wanted to meet some people I «work» with (and I checked their website prior to signing up to confirm I would not, in fact, have to deal with actual children).
What I did like was being a kid. I liked reading cardboard books (okay, and chewing on the edges, too, I’m sure), and wearing jellies, and getting Barbies, and picking out my own outfits.
Cradles to Crayons accepts donations of children’s clothing, toys, books, and other items, then sorts through things to insure safety and quality, then delivers packs of requested items to families in need. Parents request items through various organizations.
Today, my team went «shopping,» fulfilling orders for these kids. In pairs, we grabbed shopping carts and filled them with goodies– think Supermarket Sweep meets Ikea. It was actually quite fun.
So, did I meet some new people? Yes. And rediscover some sweet relics from childhood, like Goodnight Moon? Uh huh. And spend some time doing good, and helping out some kids? Yes, but don’t tell anyone.

I came here with my colleagues from work, and we spent two hours volunteering at The Giving Factory. One of my coworkers and I were just mentioning today that we actually could have spent even longer there! It was FUN being there, and especially knowing that we were having such a large and REAL impact on so many kids. We spent the morning sorting clothes according to size, and were the «quality control» mechanism.
It amazes me… there are so many people donating so many things, and yet there’s always more that’s needed. It also made me think about the things I myself would like to donate – a word to the wise: just make sure that all clothing items are clean, not ripped, and have been washed. Otherwise, they go in the «no, thanks» bins. Like I said, quality control. We were told that we should keep in mind to choose items that kids would be proud of wearing on their first day of school… that’s a tall order. Don’t you remember your first day of school, and how nervous and excited you were? You wanted to look your absolute best, and these kids deserve nothing less!
The other large group that was there was working on the «shopping» lists… where you make personlized packages for these children. That is something I’d love to come back and do as well. The finished product, filled with toys, clothes, shoes, and books are then sent off to social workers, etc., who give them out to the kids in need. It is absolutely amazing what C2C does for the community.
As everyone else has said, they are EXTREMELY organized and so passionate about the mission that it’s hard NOT to get energized from just being there. The owner /​founder, Lynn, came and spoke with us at the end of our 2 hours, and it’s clear that she has grown this charity out of dedication and love. It’s phenomenal, and I can’t even begin to tell you how important these kinds of people and organizations are. Your philanthropic impact can come through physically volunteering here, or in the form of financial contributions. Either way, it’s a great cause, and I feel good knowing that there’s immediate, concrete help for the kids C2C supports.

I’ve been volunteering on and off in the area for a couple of years. Cradles to Crayons is one of my favorite charities and here’s why.
1. An enthusiastic hard working staff. — Sure the majority of them are probably annual college interns but they’re pretty energetic and when you see excited staff it makes the work a little more fun to do.
2. Organized like a boss. — No really. Their warehouse is super organized from the loading dock to the shopping section and they divide their daily volunteers evenly among them. So you can be sure that if you go there for a few hours they’ll be able to use you somewhere. You can do anything from sorting clothing, books or toys to putting together individual kid packs. Even after the shift is over they always give you the stats on how much was accomplished in your short time.
3. Bright atmosphere /​environment — I was here a few days back and noticed a tepee off to the side. Not only that but there was toys everywhere. Clearly I’m an adult and haven’t got children of my own but darn those toys look exciting. Not only that but a lot of the merchandise is new or in mint condition.
If you don’t like the average soup kitchen or dilapidated charity then I definitely recommend spending a few hours here. You can come with a group or by yourself they have certainly come some ways from their Quincy beginnings.

From the
Blog:
Touring Cradles to Crayons
This morning I had the opportunity to meet with Cradles to Crayons (C2C), a Brighton-​based non-​profit that «provides, free of charge, disadvantaged children with the essential items that all kids need in order to flourish.» We have been in touch regarding our development at
and our anticipated Fall launch. As a welcome home from Nicaragua, I had the chance to tour their «Giving Factory» facility, learn more about their highly-​refined process, and discuss how GivingSomeThing could help serve their mission. They operate a massive operation, serving over 27,500 local kids a year with the help of 20,000 volunteers. It was impressive and humbling to be in the presence of such an organization.
While most of C2C’s donations come in as used items and are inspected and filtered for «perfect» goods — there are gaps in their needs, urgent items, or things that they require to be new. It is our hope that when we launch later this fall that GivingSomeThing and Cradles to Crayons can work together to help address these specific needs and provide an opportunity for supporters of Cradles to Crayons to donate.
To learn more about Cradles to Crayons or to volunteer with them,
check out
To learn more about GivingSomeThing, check out:

Oh, it certainly helps that I have a handful of friends on staff here, but the mission of C2C is more than ‘You don’t have shoes, so here’s a beat up pair — better than none.’ It’s about instilling confidence and a strong sense of self-​worth.
C2C provides incredible volunteering opportunities for corporate people and helps to foster a sense of community. They do a great job and there’s reason they are known as a superstar philanthropy in Boston; they have a strong sense of mission and their trajectory is off the charts, considering they are only ten-​ish years old.
Also, my dear Lindsey C. plans what I hear are killer events, so bravo! I’ve had more than enough silent auctions and cash bars.

I got back from volunteering at Cradles to Crayons a few hours ago and am so happy that my job suggested we go as an intern bonding trip. The organization is doing really amazing things and I could not believe some of their statistics, like serving 45,000 children in 2009?! The staff members who instructed us were really helpful and made volunteering with them fun and entertaining. Plus, who doesn’t love looking at adorable tiny baby clothes and booties?
On a side note, I don’t have kids, but if you do have kids and are looking to bring them somewhere to «give back», bring them here! I can imagine kids having a lot of fun sorting through clothes and toys and it may even spark some conversation about what THEY can give up to kids in need. Cradles to Crayons makes volunteering an experience for everyone of all ages — and apparently they have birthday parties? What an amazing idea.

welll dammit… i was about to go off (in a good way) about C2C and then i read more reviews… they hold birthday parties… freekin sweeet… now i can look into that for my clients… i knew i wasn’t wasting my time on Unilocal… thanks ashley B… i’m gonna put this time i spend on Unilocal as «researching community resources» on my time sheets for work… niiiiice…ps, donate to c2c… u’r good used items will be greatly appreciated by a young one!

Love this place — They are super organized, and really do a lot of good in MA. The warehouse is filled from top to bottom with clothes and toys, all waiting to be given to someone in need. Highly recommend checking them out if you are looking to volunteer.

I just walked in the door from spending the morning volunteering at Cradles to Crayons, and had to share my joy with the world of Unilocal.What an awesome organization! I spent the morning sorting through box after box of shoes (apparently the most needed item at C2C), separating them by size and season, and prepping them for distribution to the needy children of the greater-​Boston area. Additionally, I prepared several boxes of athletic cleats and dance shoes to be sent to Soles4Souls, a shoe distribution agency in Alabama that provides needy children with the shoes required to participate in extracurriculars alongside their peers. What an amazing thing to see, charities helping charities to make a collective difference in the world. In fact, any and all items collected at C2C that are not used are sent on to the Salvation Army, so no donations go to waste.
In my time at the «Giving Factory,» a massive warehouse jam-​packed with every imaginable item a child may need, other groups participated in projects packaging clothing and toys, as well and decorating gift bags and preparing birthday gifts for boys and girls of all ages. It was so thrilling to see 20+ complete strangers working together in hopes of bettering the lives of local children. I will certainly be going back on a regular basis to do my part.
If you would like to get involved, you can sign up to volunteer as an individual or with a group at
I joyfully warn you though, they are making volunteer reservations a month out!

We volunteered one rainy Saturday. We arrived and were directed to sign in at the terminals while there was a long table of fellow volunteers coloring brown paper with word and pictures.
During orientation, as they asked us to check out a sample order which was contained in a clear plastic trash bag, we realized they wrapped the birthday gifts in these homemade wrapping sheets!
Volunteers were requested to 1) clean/​test/​sort toys, and 2) to coordinate a week’s worth of outfits. Our little group, however, were asked to join the next orientation group which would be assigned to picking orders.
We were shown the rows of bins, sorted into types of items (clothing, shoes, boots, jackets, toys/​puzzles/​stuffed animals, books, activity packs, etc) and age groupings, and sent out to collect the items on our color-​coded sheets in our shopping carts.
We gathered items, went through the list with a senior volunteer, stuffed them into plastic trash bags, taped the check list on the outside, wrapped the birthday gift if there was one, knotted the bundle after squishing out as much of the air as possible, placed them in the color coded bins, grabbed the next child’s list, and repeated the cycle as many times we could.

This is not a good place to volunteer if you’re easily distracted and find children’s clothes amusing. I had to be transferred repeatedly due to lack of productivity (all the the «oohing» and «ahhing» and «aw that’s so cute» holds up the line). Yeah, I’m a dorkus. I think it’s just my repressed jealousy from wearing outfits with lambs and Filipino versions of American cartoons like Snoopey and Mannie Mouse. First they had me with the Halloween costumes. Bad idea. Watermelon and bee outfits with sparkles and sequins? I’m jelly. Then, they had me go over to baby clothes which was another bad idea. Little baby shoes KILL me. I finally landed on sorting and packing coats. Not as cute, but my most productive post. Checking for holes or stains, I sorted the coats by size and then packed them. Woohoo! I’m finally helping! heh
This is one of those great places in the area to take a huge group of people because there is plenty to do. It can feel like a bit of a trek if you’re going there on a weekday, but going on a Saturday afternoon doesn’t seem as bad. See the hours on the Contact Us tab of the website. They can be kind of funky with a few changes week to week.
Note: They didn’t technically move me, they’re nicer than that. I chose to move because of my own guilt. haha

I have volunteered here a couple of times myself.
Every volunteer puts together packages including a couple of outfits as well as a couple of books and toys for different needy children
They take donations as well as volunteers. It is an excellent program

Awesome organization to volunteer at. They need volunteers all year long to sort and package toys and clothes to needy kids and families.
They are currently having a «Ready For School» program that needs volunteers to help out. Noon to noon — September 8^th and 9^th —
Great location — near North Quincy T station (short walk), check the website for detail information.
Volunteer your time, donate $, or drop off needed items: