Your chance to help

Hope A. Smith
Published: March 20, 2008

You hear about devastation every day. A family's house burns down, and all they have are the clothes on their backs. The awful reality of Hurricane Katrina wiped out much of New Orleans. The tsunami that ravaged Indonesia destroyed homes and claimed lives. When you hear about global devastation, you want to know, "How can I help-"

You've heard me sing the praises of the company for which I work, Cintas. They've given us a great avenue to help, not just domestically, but also globally. A lot of people want to give back to the community, but how do we go about doing it-
To quote the "Community Involvement" section of Cintas' website, "In 1998, Cintas sought a way to make a difference in the lives of the poorest of the poor worldwide. The easy part was realizing we had something to give. The difficult part was finding a way to get the aid into the hands of those in need. That was when Cintas began its relationship with Matt. 25: Ministries' Center for Humanitarian Relief. It was then that we realized that something very special was about to happen."
Matt. 25: Ministries is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit humanitarian aid organization established in 1992 in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Starting in 1998, Cintas started donating fabric, sewing machines, clothing, and millions of first aid supplies. After the horrific attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Cintas donated $400,000 worth of industrial clothing and boots to the rescuers at the World Trade Center. Then in May, 2003, we started a program called "Clothe the Kids." This is a week-long donation program that helps to clothe children in 25 countries worldwide, including the United States. More specifically, several Cintas employee-partners participated in a mission trip to the Appalachian area to see this program in action.

We would like to invite everyone in our community to contribute to this worthy cause! It may be as simple as cleaning out your child's closet and donating their gently worn clothing (no better time than our annual spring cleaning).

Items we can accept for donation are gently used or new children's clothing items (newborns to 15 years old): shirts, pants and shorts, coats and jackets, hats and gloves, new socks, new undergarments and new shoes and sandals.
Items we cannot accept are used shoes or sandals, used socks, used undergarments, clothing with holes or rips and toys. Cash and check donations are also acceptable, just make payable to Cintas Clothe the Kids.

Since 2003, we have collected more than 500,000 articles of kids' clothes to donate to needy children worldwide. That equates to more than 14 pieces of children's clothing donated by every employee-partner in the company - all 34,000 of us! You can make a difference by simply donating the change in your pocket, contributing your lunch money for the day or even the week, picking up the change around your house or car, or foregoing your Frappuccino for the day!

Ask your friends or neighbors to see if they have any children's clothing that is no longer needed. Gather items from church groups, collect clothing at yard sales around your neighborhood, or involve Boy Scout and Girl Scout groups to help gather children's items.

By donating to this worthy cause, we realize the beauty of living and/or working in a close-knit community. As I've said before, when there is a time of need or an occasion to give, no one does it better than Culpeper. It says a lot about our community when we see donations pouring in. Good-ness knows, some of us have children that refuse to part with certain items of clothing - what better time to teach them the importance of giving to those less fortunate-

Where can you drop off your donations- There will be donation boxes around town. Just call our office to find your nearest location. Our number is 825-2300. Of course, we will take donations in our lobby at Cintas. The collection dates will be March 24-28, so get a jump on your spring cleaning while providing clothing to children, our hope and the future!
 
Hope A. Smith is an
independent columnist and
resident of Orange County.
Her column appears on Friday.
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