By Tripp Underwood
There is a two-story warehouse in Quincy that puts children as young as 5 years old to work, sorting, organizing, and cleaning toys, childcare equipment and clothing.
On a cold, rainy morning in late March almost two dozen 7-year-olds spent hours sorting games, puzzles and books, under the close supervision of school teacher Dava Dunne. The students and Dunne are volunteer laborers at the Giving Factory, a large warehouse run by the nonprofit organization Cradle to Crayons, which provides gently used toys, clothes, and childcare equipment for free to families in need.
"They were so excited, they just couldn't wait to come," said Dunne (pictured far left) as the laughter of the students echoed off the warehouse's cavernous walls.
Since 2002, Cradle to Crayons has been accepting donations, from baby strollers to art supplies, and giving them away to families who need such items but cannot afford them. But Lindsay Jensen, manager of volunteer relations for Cradle to Crayons Boston, said simply redistributing donations isn't sufficient.
She said it is Cradle to Crayons' view that giving needy children old and tattered goods is counterproductive to building up their concept of self-worth.
"These kids get enough junk in their lives, so we want to not only give kids the items they need, but also things that will increase their self-esteem," Jensen said. "We want them to leave with things they're going to feel proud to own, or clothes they'll feel confident to wear to school."
In order to maintain C2C's high standards, donations must be painstakingly examined to make sure they are working and free of imperfections, defects, or excessive wear. Any items that don't meet Cradle to Crayons' strict standards of quality are either donated to other organizations, or if used too thoroughly, are thrown away.
Ensuring such high levels of quality requires a lot of work, which is all done by volunteers. Jensen said without the help of people like Dunne and her students Cradle to Crayons' Giving Factory couldn't function. "We have a very small staff, so volunteers are the heart and soul of the Giving Factory," she said. "[They're] critical to our mission."
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