For upwards of 1,100 children in Franklin County, Santa comes in September. That’s when Warm the Children throws open the doors to its three-day pop-up store at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Wide-eyed children who probably never before got their own shopping spree gleefully chose a full set of warm winter ware, from head to toe. Now, with an October nip in the air, those new clothes are warding off the chill in style. “This is a godsend for people getting ready for winter,” said Susan Jones, director of Families and Youth Services of United ARC of Greenfield.
Here’s how it works: Warm the Children was started in 1993 by the Greenfield Recorder, which coordinates the fundraising drive and donates the advertising. Wilson’s Department Store’s experienced buyer uses her contacts to order the best new clothing at the best prices for children ages 1 to 12 and provides the racks for display; Community Action, a nonprofit that helps support lower-income families, works with local social service agencies to screen eligible families and set up shopping appointments during the three days when the “shop” is open. Volunteers from the community set up the store and guide families through the selection process, making sure each child gets every item of clothing he or she is eligible for. “The community really steps up,” Wilson’s Buyer Debbie Daly said. “It’s a lot of work.”
Warm the Children is at a critical stage for 2020 because the money coming in now pays for the clothing given out next year. Annual events like the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction’s golf tournament and the Greenfield Tae Kwon Do’s Breakathon help to jumpstart the campaign, and former recipients spontaneously hold their own fundraising tag sales, bake sales and supermarket collections. But the bulk of the total raised still comes from individual donors like you who send in their checks to The Recorder, knowing that next winter will be cold, too, and needy children would otherwise be walking to school without warm boots and jackets.
“It’s a wonderful thing that our community does,” Bekki Craig of the Greenfield Housing authority said. “It’s a staple of what we do as a community that makes me really proud to be in Greenfield.”
Among our longtime readers are many who have donated each and every year and we’d like to hear from you. How many years have you been giving? Do you have a personal backstory that moves you to support this charity? If so, we’d like to hear it. Please call Editor-in-Chief Joan Livingston at 413-772-0261, ext. 250 or via email jlivingston@recorder.com with your memories and family stories of cold winters and thin clothes.
Last year, Warm the Children raised $81,300. That’s down $2,700 from the $84,000 raised the previous year, when more than 1,200 children took home warm clothes. This year’s goal of $90,000 would restore last year’s funding and increase our reach to a record 1,300 children. Please help us to meet that goal for 2020. To donate, send a check to: Warm the Children, c/o The Recorder, P.O. Box 1367, Greenfield MA 01302, or drop by the office at 14 Hope St.
Then, watch the thermometer on the Warm the Children ad in the paper as it reaches for the top.