Snug Hugs for Kids Clothing Drive

Ten Thousand Pounds of Love – Snug Hugs for Kids a success!

Children and families served by Children’s Home + Aid received approximately 10,000 lbs. of winter clothing as a result of the Snug Hugs for Kids Clothing Drive sponsored by Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops. The clothing was donated by local residents and customers at local Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops.

Merlin Shops also conducted their Warm Hands and Hearts Red Mitten fundraiser and combined with donations from Merlin strategic partners; U.S. AutoForce, Advance Auto Parts, and the Chicago Wolves, a total of $20,000 was donated to Children’s Home + Aid to help support essential services.

On Dec. 14, over 20 Merlin vans, the Chicago Wolves delivery truck, and multiple radio partners formed a caravan that started at the Merlin Shop in Hanover Park, Ill. and traveled to the Children’s Home + Aid Mitzi Freidheim Englewood Child and Family Center in Chicago to deliver the clothes. The next morning before the sun rose, families served by Children’s Home + Aid throughout Chicagoland lined up at the center patiently waiting their turn to gather warm winter items for their kids.

Two additional programs and multiple collection events supported the Snug Hugs for Kids collection effort, which brought in significant donations:

• The 21st annual Crochet & Knit-A-Thon gathered more than one ton of handcrafted items from volunteers who knit and crochet in over nine states and two countries.
• Girl Scout, Boy Scout and youth groups participated in Kids Helping Kids and gathered donations in pursuit of a collectible patch supplied by Merlin.
• Radio station partners, Alpha Media; 95.9 WERV-FM , 103.9 WFXF-FM, 105.5 WZSR-FM, 96.7 WSSR-FM, 102.3 WXLC-FM, 95.1 WIIL-FM conducted 40+ collection events.
• 101.1 WKQX-FM offered the first 35 concert goers in line early entry to their ” The Nights We Stole Christmas” when they donated a new coat to Snug Hugs for Kids.
• The Chicago Wolves collected all season long at their practice facility and at Allstate Arena resulting in an entire box truck full of donations for the children.

Thank you to all who helped make this 26^th annual event such a wonderful success!

Top: Merlin and partners deliver clothing packed into 20+ vans and trucks.
Middle: Volunteers unload clothing donations and prepare for client shopping days.
Bottom: Children and families receive warm winter clothing and outerwear.

Receipts

If you made a donation of hats, coats, mittens, etc. at a Merlin 200,000 Miles Shop location and would a receipt, please click here.

Donate

If you were unable to donate clothing, but would like to help:

+ Donate

Contact Us

For questions, please contact Maureen Kelly at 312-424-6875 or mkelly@childrenshomeandaid.org.