Boston Cradles To Crayons Moves To Newton

NEWTON — Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit with goal of supplying clothing, shoes and school supplies to children living in poverty in the Greater Boston area, is moving from its Brighton warehouse to relocate in Newton, according to the organization.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers work to collect new and nearly new children’s items through community drives and corporate donations, processed and packaged by volunteers. They then distribute the donations to children through a network of service partners. The lease on the building on Western Avenue where the organization has been for years is coming up at the end of the year.

Cradles to Crayons will use a $4.4 MassDevelopment bond to buy and renovate the 37,500-square-foot building at 281 Newtonville Ave., according to a press release.

The new building will feature offices and a warehouse, also known as the “Giving Factory,” where volunteers can sort and assemble donated items before they are distributed to children in need.

Construction is expected to start later this year and by the end of next year the hundreds of volunteers who lend a hand each year will be working from the Newton factory.

According to Cradles to Crayons, some 75,000 volunteers have helped more than 1 million children since the organization was founded in 2002.