This year, when we asked you to nominate local businesses and individuals for our annual LOVE Awards, we also asked you to vote for a non-profit beneficiary for our awards party raffle ticket sales to support. Overwhelmingly, you selected Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia, and we couldn’t be happier to support such a worthy cause.

In the greater Philadelphia area, more than 300,000 children live in poverty. Since 2006, Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia has sought to reach these kids, providing children from birth through age 12 living in homeless or low-income situations with essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school, and at play.

Annual campaigns like their “Ready for School” initiative activate individuals and businesses in the community towards providing resources and comfort to kids in need—in that example, it is to distribute new backpacks filled with custom “KidPacks” to help kids start school prepared and excited to learn.

This is largely achieved by engaging the community to donate money, items, and their time—or as Cradles to Crayons puts it, “making it convenient to turn compassion into action.” With that goal in mind, Cradles to Crayons is moving its Giving Factory from Conshohocken to a new location in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.

Located at 4700 Wissahickon Avenue, the new Giving Factory is easily accessible from major highways, includes 60 free parking spaces, and will increase their physical space (from 16,000 to 25,000 square feet) so that they can host more volunteers and help more children than ever before.

In celebration of their bigger, better location, Cradles to Crayons is hosting a warehouse Grand Opening this Saturday, May 18, from 10 am—noon.

The new Giving Factory warehouse grand opening will feature a ribbon cutting, remarks from Cradles to Crayons Executive Director Michal Smith, tours of the new warehouse, and volunteer activities featuring hands-on service opportunities for all ages!

Want to get involved but can’t make it on Saturday? Even though Cradles to Crayons’ official grand opening is on Saturday, they are already open for volunteering! Kids as young as 5 years old can volunteer at the Giving Factory, so it is a great way to give back as a family and to encourage helping others early. There are many other ways people can get involved, too, which Cradles to Crayons details on their site. You can also sign up to volunteer on their site—they even have family days on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Cradles to Crayons always accepts monetary donations on their website as well.

Photographs courtesy of Cradles to Crayons Philadelphia.