Community comes together for first Cradles to Crayons Backpack-A-Thon

CHICAGO — From one station to the next, volunteers stepped up to run 10 stops on an assembly line at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory on Saturday.

“The organization I was in when I was younger used to do school drives, so I know how many people need this type of stuff,” Madison Lindsey said. “You really start to think about even beyond the school supplies, the hygiene kits they may put in the bags and notes.”

The Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory opened its doors to the public for its first ever community backpack-a-thon.

The mission at hand was to fill 100,000 backpacks with school supplies and give them to Chicago-area students.

The nonprofit was founded in 2002 to provide clothing to lower income and homeless children.

“Kids were not ready for school, and the cost of what it takes for parents to be able to provide all the supplies kids need is estimated at over $800 a child,” Dawn Melchiorre said.

Volunteers donated money which helped pay for the backpacks and supplies then donated their time.

“Things that you take for granted — pencils, folders, supplies — and to make that difference in a kid’s life so they can get off to the best start is a big deal,” Angie Campone said.

Campone brought her two boys, thinking this would be an invaluable experience for them.

“I think just the experience of helping others, thinking about what does it mean to give, to serve and to spend a couple hours helping others makes a big difference,” she said.