Recent Community Service

Our troop is in the process of collecting and donating to the following two community service projects.

The Pajama Program

Pajama Program, a 501(c)(3) charity, provides new pajamas and new books to needy children, many of whom are waiting and hoping to be adopted. Many of these youngsters have been abused or abandoned and in many cases, have never enjoyed the simple comfort of having a loving mother or father tuck them in at bedtime. Through the Pajama Program, we hope to contribute to a warmer, more loving environment for children when they are at their most vulnerable. The Program, to-date, has given away more than 2 MILLION pajamas and books!

•  Pajamas need to be new, unused, and a complete set or a nightgown.  Here’s what a prominent physician has to say about this: 

  The clothing a child spends 8-10 hours sleeping in is important to a child’s well-being. New pajamas are a necessary part of promoting good health and preventing infections and disease, as well as providing psychological benefits.  ~ Sheldon H. Cherry, MD, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, NYC 

• See the organization’s website for more information about having your own Pajama Party/Drive:  www.pajamaprogram.org.  If you want to send your collection directly to them for distribution to the most needy children, their address is below. Their resources are limited so they appreciate you covering mailing costs. 

  Pajama Program, 34 East 39th St., Suite B, New York, NY 10016 , 212-716-9757When sending boxes to them please include their Donation Form (www.pajamaprogram.org/donate.html) or include a note with your name and address, and the number of pajamas in your collection so they can send you a thank you letter!

Midnight Run (through the Killingworth Congregational Church)

The Killingworth Congregational Church’s Midnight Run Group provides necessities for homeless individuals in New Haven.  Group volunteers bring the items to New Haven at night and distribute them from a church.  If you can put together a survival kit for the Midnight Run group, the following is a list of needed items which should be placed in a gallon zip lock bag.  Please contact the Killingworth Congregational Church if you would like to make a donation:  www.killingworthchurch.org

• toothpaste
• shampoo
• shavers/shaving cream
• deodorant
• soap
• washcloth
• lip balm
• feminine products
  
• no candy, please

The New York City organization (www.midnightrun.org) discourages publicity to protect the homeless so hopefully I am not breaking any rules by including their information on our webiste.  The following is an excerpt from their website:

Midnight Run is a volunteer organization dedicated to finding common ground between the housed and the homeless.  In over 1,000 relief missions per year, Midnight Run volunteers from churches, synagogues, schools and other civic groups distribute food, clothing, blankets and personal care items to the homeless poor on the streets of New York City. The late-night relief efforts create a forum for trust, sharing, understanding and affection. That human exchange, rather than the exchange of goods, is the essence of the Midnight Run mission.

Midnight Run is not a solution to homelessness. Our goal is to forge a bond between housed and homeless people by establishing a foundation of sharing and caring from which solutions may evolve. Through Midnight Run, volunteers come to see the homeless as real people, not a commodity. And homeless men and women learn that many mainstream adults and teenagers have commitments and concerns that go beyond their own lives and families.