News, features and events
Shire’s Big GIVE
22 Nov 2012
Helping over 5,000 children in need!Shire employees from our Chesterbrook site came together to lead The 5th Annual Shire Big GIVE, a region-wide donation drive that benefits children in need. The two-day drive resulted in the collection of clothing, books, toys, baby equipment and school supplies for Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that operates in Boston and Philadelphia whose mission is to help underprivileged children be valued and better prepared for school and life. These donations of basic essentials will help 5,175 children aged 0-12 in the greater Philadelphia region. This unique initiative, which took place October 12-13, 2012, was made possible thanks to the help of over 100 Shire volunteers working the sorting lines at the donation center and, for the first time, at sites across the Philadelphia region. And the success of Shire’s Big GIVE would not be realized without the tremendous generosity and engagement from thousands of families across the Delaware Valley who take the time to donate items for others in need.
The “in-house” Shire drive at our Pennsylvania offices centered on a friendly competition with our employees generously donating 1,765 pair of underwear, 840 batteries and 796 pairs of socks. In addition, teams of Shire employees volunteered at the Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory warehouse to sort the donations and assemble packages of clothing and everyday necessities for individual children.
Items collected through Shire’s Big GIVE are distributed through Cradles to Crayons’ partner agencies including homeless and domestic violence shelters, social and human service organizations, schools and day care centers.
“We could not be more thrilled with the creative approach, hard work and dedication displayed by Shire in developing and implementing this special community-wide donation drive,” said Michal Smith, executive director of Cradles to Crayons in Philadelphia. “The Big GIVE exemplifies how Shire takes its community partnerships to the next level, adding real value and impact for people in need.”
Since its inception, Shire’s Big GIVE has collected items to help more than 20,000 children in need across the greater Philadelphia region. We’re proud of how the Big GIVE brings people togheter to support a common cause, and of the long-term impact it has on helping vulnerable children to feel valued, cared for and safe, ultimately allowing them to lead better lives.
