Fourth Annual Cradles to Crayons® Backpack-A-Thon® at Staples Stuffs 20,000 Backpacks
May 17 2017 - 6:44PM
Business Wire
1,200 Staples associates come together for
Massachusetts children in need
During the fourth annual Cradles to Crayons Backpack-A-Thon
event held earlier today at Staples corporate headquarters in
Framingham, 20,000 backpacks were assembled with 460,000 new school
supplies by 1,200 Staples employee volunteers and loaded onto
trucks for distribution to children in Framingham, Lynn,
Springfield, Worcester.
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Staples associates prepare to stuff
20,000 backpacks for local students at the Cradles to Crayons
Backpack-A-Thon at Staples Headquarters. (Photo: Business Wire)
In partnership with school districts, the Boys & Girls Clubs
of Metrowest, and Saint Bridget’s Catholic School, Cradles to
Crayons ensures these no-cost resources are delivered to some of
the communities with the greatest need in Massachusetts, providing
local children with the necessary school supplies to help them
succeed.
“Working with Cradles to Crayons, we are able to help local
students prepare for school by providing the tools they need to
learn,” said Regis Mulot, Chief Human Resources Officer and Staples
Foundation Executive Vice President. “Hundreds of Staples
associates give their time and enthusiasm to stuff thousands of
backpacks for low-income children, exemplifying our commitment to
making a difference in the communities where our customers and
associates live and work.”
Staples is the only corporate partner to date to work with
Cradles to Crayons to replicate the nonprofit’s signature assembly
line packing event—now in its eleventh year—held annually in
Boston. Staples’ support allows Cradles to Crayons to expand their
reach to serve more children in MetroWest and Central
Massachusetts. Similar events at Staples locations in Terre Haute,
Ind; Aurora, Colo; Philadelphia, Pa; and Lincolnshire, Ill, will
fill an additional 11,000 backpacks with school supplies to support
children and other Cradles to Crayons sites. Collectively all
places will produce a total of 31,000 backpacks this year.
"Staples Backpack-A-Thon is a great example of the impact
corporations and non-profits can have when they come together in
support of their communities. We cannot thank Staples enough for
their support through both this event and the 2 Million &
Change program. It is invaluable in providing thousands of children
with the supplies they need to succeed in school,” said Lynn
Margherio, Cradles to Crayons’ Founder and CEO.
Margherio, Mulot, and Peter Scala, Staples’ Chief Merchandising
Officer, were joined at the event by Dr. Maureen Binienda,
Superintendent, Worcester Public Schools; Dr. Robert Tremblay,
Superintendent, Framingham Public Schools; Dr. Catherine Latham,
Superintendent, Lynn Public Schools; and Paul R. Joseph, President
and CEO, MetroWest Chamber of Commerce.
School supplies from backpacks to pencils and glue sticks to
notebooks were donated by more than 15 participating Staples
vendors, including: Acco, Amax, Avery, Bic, Crayola, Dixon,
Georgia-Pacific, Newell/Rubbermaid, Purell, Westcott, and Staples
Brand Products. Some of the vendors also volunteered alongside
Staples associates during the event.
Staples’ support of Cradles to Crayons extends beyond the
Backpack-A-Thon to funding through the 2 Million & Change grant
program—a philanthropic initiative created by the Staples
Foundation for associates around the world to direct funding for
nonprofit organizations they are passionate about and which are
dedicated to education or job skills. Many Staples associates
nominate Cradles to Crayons for funding each year to help them
reach more students in need through their Ready for School program.
The program, serving 70,000 children between June 1 through
September 30 – promotes the importance of preparing the whole child
for school from head to toe and generates thousands of backpacks
for children who need them through Backpack-A-Thon events.
About Cradles to CrayonsCradles to Crayons is a national
nonprofit organization with locations in Boston, Philadelphia, and
Chicago that provides children from birth through age 12, living in
homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they
need to thrive—at home, at school, and at play. Cradles to Crayons
supplies these items free of charge by engaging and connecting
communities that have with communities that need, collecting new
and like-new children's items through grassroots community drives
and corporate donations. Donations are processed and packaged by
volunteers at warehouses called “Giving Factories” and are
distributed to children through a collaborative network of social
service agencies and school partners. For more information, visit
www.cradlestocrayons.org.
About Staples Community and GivingStaples contributes to
educational and job-related community efforts with a primary focus
on disadvantaged youth, from literacy and mentoring to career
skills development, through in-kind and monetary donations and
grants from Staples Foundation, the private charitable arm of
Staples, Inc. Through its community and giving efforts, Staples has
helped thousands of organizations across the world. For more
information, visit www.staples.com/community.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170517006425/en/
StaplesScott Michel, 508-253-4272Cell:
617-640-8725scott.michel@staples.comorCradles to CrayonsAndrea
Rhoads, 617-779-4561Cell:
845-800-6304arhoads@cradlestocrayons.org
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