Donation drive aims to outfit children in winter clothing

MIDDLETOWN — Warm The Children’s season of providing new winter clothing for children in need has begun.

Warm The Children is neighbors helping neighbors, according to a news release. This year, The Middletown Kiwanis Club, with support from The Middletown Press and The Chronicle, will be able to serve more than 700 Middletownarea children, each receiving up to $90 ($70 for kids under 4) of new winter clothing and footwear.

The families are referred to the Warm The Children coordinator by public elementary and middle schools in Middletown, Cromwell, East Hampton, Portland, Regional District 13 and through some social service agencies, such as CRT’s Head Start program, Even Start, Haddam Social Services and the Middlesex Hospital Family Advocacy programs, the release said.

Volunteer shoppers assist the families on their shopping trip to Walmart in Cromwell. The selected clothing and footwear is billed to the Kiwanis Club account for payment, according to organizers of the annual event.

Funds to pay for clothing originate mostly from individual contributors. All the donation money received is used to purchase clothing and footwear only, nothing is skimmed off for administrative costs, as the

Kiwanis Club absorbs the expenses and The Middletown Press and The Chronicle provide advertising support. Also, there is no payroll — the program is 100 percent volunteer, the release said.

Every year, friends and neighbors are the driving force behind Warm the Children’s fundraising success. This season, volunteers will be able to serve more than 700 children thanks to the donations received, according to the organization.

This year’s fundraising goal is $62,000. That amount will enable volunteers to serve more than 300 families with more than 700 children in total again next season.

The Middletown Kiwanis website, at middletownkiwanis.org, has information on Warm The Children and ways to help.

All donations are taxdeductible, and can be made by check or money order and sent to Warm The Children, c/o Liberty Bank, Attention: Leah Pickard, 315 Main St., Middletown, CT 06457; or by credit card through PayPal via the Kiwanis website.

Also, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5 percent of the purchase price from eligible AmazonSmile purchases when The Kiwanis Foundation of Middletown Inc. is selected as the charity.

To be a volunteer shopper, contact Lynn Baldoni at warmthechildren.middletown@gmail.com.