Cradles to Crayons® and Jordan's Furniture help local children in need!

BOSTON, M.A.—June 12, 2017—Starting today and running through August 13, all Jordan’s Furniture store locations will collect donations of new and gently used clothing and shoes for children ages birth to twelve years old in support of Cradles to Crayons®’ Ready for School program. This marks the 11th year of Cradles to Crayons’ school preparedness program, which provides local Massachusetts homeless and low-income children with the essential back-to-school supplies and clothing needed to start the year prepared and excited to learn. To kick-off the collection, Jordan’s Furniture in Reading MA will host a Stuff-A-Truck event on Saturday, June 24 from 10am to 12pm. Customers and supporters are urged to bring donations to the store during the event. The Cradles to Crayons/Jordan’s Furniture partnership, now in its sixth year, has supported 12,435 children to date.

“We are so proud to continue our partnership with Cradles to Crayons and to support their Ready for School program,” said Eliot Tatelman, Jordan’s President and CEO. “I remember my first days of school and all of the memories of each one. It is so important for every child to feel worthy. By working with the team at Cradles to Crayons, we hope to do our part in helping area children get ready for school and be prepared to learn. Through the generosity of our wonderful customers, we know that our donation drives have made an impact during the last five years. We hope for the same success this year.”

Cradles to Crayons was founded in 2002 with the mission of providing children from birth to age twelve with the clothes, toys, school supplies, shoes, and other essentials they need to thrive. The organization provides these items free of charge by working through a network of Service Partners like City Connects, Self Help, Boston Public School District, and others to distribute customized KidPacks, containing a week’s worth of clothing and critical items. Cradles to Crayons is a trusted resource to families in need, to the partners who serve those families, and to families, corporations, and individuals looking for ways to make tangible differences in their own communities. Ready for School will serve 70,000 children this year between June 1 and September 30.

“Jordan’s Furniture has been an invaluable supporter of our Ready for School program for the past five years. Their efforts will ensure that thousands of children enter the classroom with clothing they can be proud of and the confidence and excitement that come with feeling prepared. We thank Jordan’s Furniture for spreading awareness and bringing community members together to give back in a meaningful way,” said Cradles to Crayons Founder and CEO, Lynn Margherio. “On behalf of the kids we serve, we would like to thank Jordan’s for their continued dedication to supporting local children in need.”

The two-month donation drive— through August 13—takes place at all store locations in Avon, MA; Reading, MA; Natick, MA; Nashua, NH; New Haven, CT; and Warwick, RI; along with the Jordan’s Distribution Center in East Taunton, MA and strives to provide every child with essentials of the highest quality. Accepted clothing donations (pants, shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, etc. and NEW pajamas, socks, and undergarments) should be like-new or new, with no rips, stains, or tears in Youth sizes 0 to 18/20 and Adult sizes Small and Medium. Shoe donations include sneakers, school shoes, and boots in sizes infant to adult 10.

For more information, visit www.jordans.com or www.cradlestocrayons.org

About Jordan’s Furniture

Jordan’s Furniture is a 6-store retail company that is known for combining entertainment with shopping, creating a customer experience like no other. There are stores in Reading, MA, Natick, MA, Avon, MA, Nashua, NH, Warwick, RI, and New Haven, CT. Each one has its own unique brand of entertainment: IMAX Theaters, indoor adventure ropes courses, laser water shows, an iconic holiday “village,” a city made of jellybeans, full-service restaurants and more. The company is also known for incorporating philanthropy into its business model, with donation programs running year-round that benefit local and regional charities. Jordan’s Furniture, originally a family owned and operated company, is owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

About Cradles to Crayons

Cradles 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.

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