I participated in the “Cradle to Crayon” volunteer program on March 2.
The main activity of this Cradle to Crayon is to provide kids with the essentials they need, free of charge. Through this volunteer, I sorted kids’ clothes, packed, and checked. I was in charge of girls’ size 7 to 8 clothing this time. As I sorted and packed, they were surprised that they called what clothes they needed a recipe. And this time, the recipe was 4 shirts, 5 pants, 2 sweaters, and 2 to 4 dresses.
There are some rules to not put dirty, ripened, and stained clothes. Also, one of the staff members told us to eliminate clothing associated with a particular place or family or with an event such as Christmas. I am really impressed with it because they provide clothes and care about children’s mental health.
In the warehouse where I volunteered, there were piles and piles of boxes almost reaching the ceiling. I asked a staff member about them and was told that most of these clothes were donated by people living in Massachusetts. Also, there were many volunteer workers in addition to us Showa Women’s students, and I felt that this CRADLE TO CRAYON activity is made up of the support of many people.
Through this volunteer work, my values in volunteering have changed. I used to think that if I did at least the minimum amount of work as a volunteer, that was all I needed to do to help. However, I learned that CRADLE TO CRAYON is not just about material support, but more than that, there is still so much more we can do, such as supporting the establishment of self-esteem for children.
Yumi Kita