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December 21, 2024 14 mins
As the snow and winter conditions settle in, many children here in Massachusetts simply don't have the proper clothing to stay warm in the cold as families struggle to find enough money to go around to pay for essentials. Cradles to Crayons Boston is based in Newtonville, and they work with agencies and non-profits around the Commonwealth to get comfortable, warm clothing and other personal supplies out to as many children as possible. Executive Director Alicia Kabir, who recently joined the team, talks with Nichole about their "Gear Up for Winter" initiative and her plans for the non-profit's future.
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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England
Weekend where each and every week we come together right
here we talk about all the topics important to you
and the place where you live. It is so good
to be back with you again this week. I'm Nicole Davis,
and I want to wish you the happiest of holidays.
I know we have Hanukkah and Christmas and Kwanza coming up,
whichever you celebrate, to have a safe and happy and

(00:29):
healthy and peaceful time too with all your loved ones. Now,
if you were listening last week, you might remember that
we were talking about heating assistance and how it can
get brutally cold here from time to time. They certainly
have yet to have a significant cold snap this winter,
but there has been more than a few days where
kids have to bundle up at the bus stop when
they're on the way to school or go out to recess.
This time of year, however, also highlights a significant problem.

(00:53):
Many kids here in Massachusetts simply don't have the proper
clothing to stay warm, and it's not because their families
aren't trying. These days, especially, there's just not enough money
to go around cradles to Croons is based in Newtonville,
just west of Boston. They work with nonprofits and agencies
all over the Commonwealth to get proper, comfortable clothing and
supplies to every kid who needs them. Alicia Kabir is here.

(01:15):
She's actually the new executive director at Cradles Tocrans Boston. Alisha,
great to have you on the show. Thank you so
much for the time. I'd love to start with more
of a rundown about the work you do at Cradles
to Croons, how you got your start, so on and
so forth.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yep, Absolutely, Cradles to Crayons is leading the way to
end clothing insecurity. I know you're going, well, what does
that mean. That means we're really focused on making sure
our children here in the state and across the country
have access to affordable, adequate, and appropriate clothing. And the
number that shocks me is that one in three children

(01:49):
in Massachusetts are at risk of clothing and security. So
if you really think about that, Nicole, it's one in
three kids in this state today struggling with the ability
to have the clothing that they need and deserve to
stay warm this winter and feel safe and secure year round.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, I mean you need a warm coat, you need
good boots to go play, and you know, if we
ever do get snow around here again, you need good
boots for the snow. And you need to make sure
that you can not just get to and from school,
but you need to make sure you're safe outside during
recess or even just with your family and friends.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yeah, that's right. I mean, you know it's getting cold
snow or no snow, and you know it doesn't escape me.
Like this morning, you know, I was getting dressed and
I'm trying to figure out do I want to wear
my red sweater? Do I want to wear my blue sweater?
And we have those options, and there are so many
families in this state and kids today struggling to have
just one sweater or one jacket to get them through

(02:43):
the next couple of months. And we need to address
that and make sure kids have the materials and the
resources that they need to be successful.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Sure, so what do you think is driving this incredible amount?
And I'm not saying incredible in a good way, I'm
saying surprising number of one in three kids being clothing
and secure? What is driving this here in Massachusetts?

Speaker 2 (03:03):
You know that there are a lot of financial barriers
that our families are facing right now. Things are expensive,
and we know that many families are facing what we
call a heat to eat decision. Can I afford to
feed my family and heat my residents. Things are very
difficult right now for so many families here in the state.

(03:25):
So what we want to do here at Cradles de
Crayons is make sure we can help families with at
least one financial aspect of many of the hardships they're
facing right now. So we are focused on getting kids
clothing and other resources at no cost to the families
so that it helps them be able to put some
of their funding them into other parts of what they

(03:47):
need to support their families.

Speaker 1 (03:48):
And it really makes it easier too for children, I think,
to succeed and thrive once they don't have to worry
about staying warm and having the proper clothing to get
out and about going to school or this or that,
they can actually continue to just be a kid and
not have to worry about it.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
You're exactly right. We firmly believe that kids should have
the right to be kids, and what we are providing
them it's more than a winter code. It's more than
a pair of pants. What we're providing them is self confidence,
the ability to feel like they're valued in the society.
We know that a lot of the reasons kids miss

(04:24):
school can be tied back to the lack of clothing,
which means then you know they're not having the academic
success and outcomes that they deserve as well. So you're
exactly right, Nicole. These items may feel simple to us,
but for children and for families that receive them, it's
truly a big ripple effect that can have big outcomes
for families.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
And tell me a bit about how Cradlestacranz gets this done.
We can talk about the Gear Up for Winter initiative
in a moment, and I'm really curious about how you
get these coats and snow pants and boots and everything
out to people who need it.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeap. Our model is just really a exciting and very
special So we get materials in through two different ways,
so you're right right now we're looking at coats in
winter gear. We get that through one either direct donation,
so folks who have gently warm clothing will give that
to us so that we can get it back out
to the community. And also some of our items you

(05:19):
can't reuse them, you know, socks, hats, and gloves are
difficult to provide and donate to other families. So we
do purchase those materials so they come in and then
what's really exciting is we have a huge volunteer community
that helps us reorganize those materials, work with our service partners,
and then allow us to get those items back out

(05:40):
to the kids who need it.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
Okay, that seems easy enough, and obviously it takes a
lot of volunteers and a lot of moving parts to
get it done, but it seems pretty straightforward and it's
been a successful model so far.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
It sure has. We've we were founded in twenty twenty two,
so we're over twenty years in the making, and yes,
we are always seeking ways to grow and be more efficient.
We've been really really thoughtful about how we best tap
the community in those resources to make sure that we
can bring in as many items for families as possible.

(06:13):
And we're really proud to be part of a really
robust and hard working community here in Massachusetts working with
other nonprofits and other partners that are great resources and
partners for us to be able to get materials back
out to the community.

Speaker 1 (06:29):
So let's see what kind of materials you need. What
are you looking for right now specifically for this gear
up for Winter initiative.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yes, we are specifically looking for winter jackets. We are
looking for warm winter clothing, so nice warm sweaters, long
sleeve shirts, pants, We need boots and shoes. We are
in need of hat, gloves, and then we are always
in need of some of the basics for kids like

(06:59):
soccer and underwear as well.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
Okay, and I noticed here that if you want to
go a little bit above and beyond, perhaps you can
do an outfit pack where you can pull together a
bunch of different pieces of clothing for one child.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah, that's right. Many of the items that go into
the community are actually packaged, is what you appropriately described
as an outfit pack. So what we want to provide
a child is not just a single shirt or a
single sweater. We want to make sure they're set up
for success, so we provide them a week's worth of clothing.

(07:33):
So what happens is if items come in. When items
come in here, our volunteers help put together those outfit
packs so that a full week of clothing is available
and provided to a child. But to your point. What
we also are in need of are people just coming
in and having that whole week of clothing available to us.
So we have many supporters who either donate their clothes

(07:54):
and put together that pack, or specifically go to our
website and purchase new items so that we have a
week's worth of clothing ready to go.

Speaker 1 (08:02):
Okay, cool, And is there any specific age range that
you're looking for or size range that you're looking for here?

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Well, we are interested in supporting all children, so we
do look at you know, very little, starting rite at
zero to three months, all the way up to teenagers.
Right now, though, we really do need more clothing for boys,
particularly teenage boys. And again we're looking for all sized
jackets to make sure kids get as many as they

(08:30):
need over the next couple of months.

Speaker 1 (08:31):
Okay, cool, And again outer wear, hats, socks, boots, gloves,
really scarves, anything that could help.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
That's exactly right. Every bit makes a difference right.

Speaker 1 (08:41):
Now, definitely, okay, And how can people give this to you?
Do you want them just to come to Newtonville and
drop it off at your facility there or would you
prefer people go online? What's the best way to get
this done?

Speaker 2 (08:54):
There's a couple of ways. You can certainly go through
your closet bring us your gently items. You can drop
them right off here at Newtonville. We also have a
number of drop off locations throughout the state. You can
go to our website, you enter your zip code, and
it's going to tell you where the closest drop off
location is. We also have a number of wonderful partners.

(09:16):
Right now, we're doing a code drive with NBC Universal
and Exfinity. You can drop off your jackets at any
one of those stores. And all of the old Navy
locations are also accepting clothing, so you can go right
to their store and drop off your items there as well.

Speaker 1 (09:31):
So, before we get a little bit further into how
people can connect with you, I'd love to learn a
bit about you because you're relatively new to the Boston
cradlestacrans operations. So how did you decide to make your
move over here?

Speaker 2 (09:44):
I am I'm a little over a month into this role,
and I am so very very happy to be here
and just honored to be a part of this organization.
I have experience in both the for profit and nonprofit
spaces right before this role, though, I was with another
non profit also focused on supporting youth and children and families. So, Nicole,

(10:05):
I am all in on two things. One, I firmly
believe that kids have the right to be kids and
should have a great childhood. And I also am very lean,
very heavily in the importance in the power of volunteering.

Speaker 1 (10:19):
Yeah, for sure. And like, when you got into this
whole new role with Cradles to Crowns, what has surprised
you in a good or bad way? Necessarily? Like, what
have you been learning that's made you go, Wow, we
have some work to do here.

Speaker 2 (10:33):
I'm proud of this organization. An amount of children that
are served each year, this is a highly efficient organization,
and the number of supporters and community members that make
that all possible. It's truly impressive. The name recognition is big.
I'm very I was very proud to say when I

(10:53):
was coming to this organization with so many people are like, oh,
of course, already, I know you. I've been volunteering, I've
been given giving to that organization. I'm so glad that
you'll be joining as well. What's surprising to me goes
back to the statistic that I mentioned at the beginning
of our conversation, you know, there's one in three children
in this state who are in need of our services.
And I was expecting a high number of kids. The

(11:16):
one in three really throws me off. And when you
start looking at Boston specifically, it's actually one and two
And it's hard for me to say. And in this
day of age and how far we've come with our society,
how can there still be so many families in need
of our services? And I'm really really ready to dig
in and make sure that we're getting to as many
of these families as possible.

Speaker 1 (11:35):
Well, here, here, let's get to it. How can people
get involved or maybe volunteer if they want to, or
just send a donation because money helps too, So how
can they get a hold of you to do any
of that?

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Yeah, I appreciate that. Yeah, there are three very specific
tangible ways you can help. So Number one we've already covered.
Clean out your closet. Holidays is a great time to
do that, fresh start the new year. Please donate your items.
We will happily accept your gently used items. Item number
two could help you can help us by purchasing new materials.

(12:10):
You can go right to our website to do a
direct donation. We also have our Amazon wish list posted
there so you could shop right off of there. Again,
we need financial support to help purchase those things like
the socks and the hats and the gloves that can't
be reused so easily. And then number three, Yes, come
volunteer with us. I promise you it's going to be
the best two hours you're going to spend this week

(12:33):
or whenever you come in. We have volunteers that can
actually start at age five, so bring your kids, bring
your families, you can bring your corporate teams. It's very
easy to sign up to volunteer right through our website again,
and just a really wonderful way to give back. And
I promise you, you know, you give me two hours and
I'm going to help you change some hundreds of lives forever.

(12:56):
And our volunteer opportunities are very straightforward organized here, and
we get such wonderful feedback from those who come through
and help us out.

Speaker 1 (13:04):
And super important to remember too, this is not just
during the holidays. You need this help. Kids need help
all year long here in Greater Boston. So yes, come
volunteer now, but don't forget to come volunteer in I
don't know, April or September as well.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
That's exactly right. As we'll get back into other seasons,
we'll start thinking about what kids will need in the spring.
You know, what they'll need when it's getting ready to
go back to school. So you're exactly right. We have
volunteer needs year round, every week and we are always
excited to see new faces come into Newtonville and to
be helping us out.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
All right, well, Alicia, welcome to cradles to crams, and
good luck with all these initiatives for the winter, and
thank you for all you do to keep our kids
warm and dry.

Speaker 2 (13:46):
Happy to do it, and thank you appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (13:48):
Nicole, have a safe and healthy and happy holiday, and
of course please join me again next week for another
edition of the show. I'm Nicole Davis from WBZ News
Radio on iHeartRadio.
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