Jonathan Huntley stands with 53 bags of donations. (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – In Massachusetts, one out of every seven children lives in poverty. That is a massive amount of children, and Cradles to Crayons is working to help those children. This month, Cradles to Crayons, a charity that collects and distributes children’s items throughout Massachusetts, teamed up with Project 351, an initiative set up by Governor Deval Patrick to bring one eighth grader ambassador from every city and town in the commonwealth together in service. This partnership set out to help the thousands of children by holding a clothing drive called Spring Greening, “Recycle for Good”.
135 drives were conducted throughout Massachusetts by eighth graders who were a part of Project 351, making it the largest mobilization in Cradles to Crayons history. Westfield ambassador, Jonathan Huntley, held his drive April 1-10 at North Middle School.
North Middle School’s Spring Greening Team (Front Row) Kyle Jacques, Paige Stawasz, (Back Row) Mike Malinowski, Mark Dargie, Jonathan Huntley, Jordan Bower, Mckenzie Chaban, (Not in Photo) Jeremy Therrien. (Photo submitted)
“It was a great opportunity,” said Huntley. “I got to help thousands of children living in unfortunate situations while learning leadership skills, and having some fun.”
Huntley began to spread the word throughout the school, and offered an ice cream party to the homeroom that donated the most items. On Monday, April 1, Jonathan and his team of six classmates kicked off their Spring Greening Drive with high hopes.
“The first couple of days we got a few items but not any huge amounts,” Huntley explained. “But as the days went by we collected more and more until we had filled our storage space and then some.”
Jonathan and his team were blown away by the results, and were also extremely happy with the generosity exhibited by their school.
After the conclusion of the drive, the group of students worked to sort the mounds of donations collected. They checked for quality, and then separated shoes, clothing, books, and toys. After this task was completed, they were able to announce that they received a total of 53 bags of donations totaling 2,158 items.
“I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished here, and I am grateful for all those who have made it possible,” an excited Mr. Huntley stated. “I could not have done this without my incredible team, my teacher, Mark Dargie and my principal, Chris Rogers. I hope that with these donations, some child will be able to be one step closer to a normal life.”
