Support for 'Spring Greening' Drive Overwhelming

Gibbons Middle School eighth-grader Connor Schoen got called to the principal’s office – at the Armstrong Elementary School – last week.

Schoen left with more donated clothes, footwear, baby items and books than he could carry in one trip to his parents’ car.

“(Armstrong Principal John Mendes) said, ‘Get down here, there’s a ton of donations,’ Schoen says.

“And we actually had to use a dollie and make a few trips to our car with the dollie to get the donations out. Because there were a ton of donations. Our car was stuffed to the point  where once we opened the trunk, donations were falling out.”

The Gibbons and Armstrong schools, as well as Schoen’s neighborhood and a local hair salon, are hosting collection boxes for clothing, footwear, baby items and books through Spring Greening – Cradles to Crayons, the latest fundraising project by Project 351, Gov. Deval Patrick’s community service and leadership initiative. The proceeds will help “to give children across Massachusetts in low-income or homeless situations these essential items,” according to an event flyer.

The drive started April 1 and ends this Friday.

Schoen is Westborough’s Project 351 ambassador this year, and brought the drive to town. The Gibbons Student Council is helping him with the drive.

“Every few months, they do some kind of fundraising project, and they ask the ambassadors to take the project and spread it to their community,” he says.

Eighth-graders Natalie Baillargeon and Ben Hopkinson are among the student council members assisting Schoen.

Baillargeon says the goals are to collect 150 clothes, 35 baby items, and 75 books. Schoen says the clothing goal includes shoes, coats and scarves.

“I think we’ve already passed our clothing goal,” Schoen says. “And I just got a ton of books. And a lot of baby items.

“I feel like the nice thing about the project is you’re not asking for money. You’re asking for old stuff that no one’s using. “

Donations may be brought to the Gibbons and Armstrong lobbies, he says.

Clothing donations should be not stained, not ripped, and at or under adult large size, he says.

“Does the clothing look like something that, if it was the right size for you, would you wear it?” Schoen says.

“If it’s not proper quality, we can donate it to the Salvation Army.”

Hopkinson called the drive “a win-win,” as community members can clean out their closets while helping children.

“It’s surprising to me how much the community can come together and be willing to donate. I was expecting us to just barely reach our goals, maybe in the last couple of days (of the drive),” he says.

Schoen says he is storing the donations in his basement. He’ll bring them to Natick this weekend.

“We’ll probably have to use a few cars, because it’s a lot,” he says.