About the Nonprofit
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Childhood poverty is a serious nationwide issue. The average U.S. family in poverty, with two adults and two children, lives on less than $26,500 a year. Consider these staggering statistics from the regions where Cradles to Crayons currently operates:
More than 1 in 3 Massachusetts children, 12 years old and younger, live in low-income or homeless situations.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Philadelphia has the highest poverty rate among the nation’s ten largest cities. 3 in 5 Philadelphian children live in poverty.
1 in 2 children in Chicago live in low income and homeless situations.
Without adequate and appropriate clothing, children face unfair barriers and participate in life on an unequal playing field. Across most of the United States, only three (food, housing, energy) of four basic needs are supported by government safety net programs. Cradles to Crayons uses the term “Clothing Insecurity” as part of our efforts to formally recognize the issue, and increase awareness on this hidden basic need.
What Poverty Looks and Feels Like for Kids
The kids we help don’t have shoes that fit. Or a coat warm enough to fend off winter winds. Or a backpack to carry their schoolbooks and supplies. Without these basics, they suffer. They don’t want to go to school. They have a hard time learning in school. They don’t go outside to play. They don’t feel valued.
Our Mission: Cradles to Crayons 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. We supply these items free of charge by engaging and connecting communities.
Our Vision: One day every child will have the essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn and valued.