Thanks to our loyal partner, Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops, the holidays are brighter and warmer for the children and families we serve at the Mitzi Freidheim Child & Family Center in Chicago’s Englewood community. Throughout the fall and winter, our friends at Merlin’s collect new and like-new winter items for our Snug Hugs for Kids event. The event provides families from the neighborhood the opportunity to shop for warm-weather gear for themselves and their children.
For the 28th year, Merlin’s and their 40+ volunteers caravanned from Chicago’s western suburbs to Englewood to deliver a massive amount of clothing—over 6 tons of coats, hand knitted scarves, gloves, hats, sweaters and blankets! More than 200 boxes from 20+ trucked were unloaded and stacked in the Freidheim Center’s gymnasium, which were then unpacked and sorted for the Snug Hugs for Kids event.
Over the next two days, more than 250 parents and grandparents from the Center shopped for winter items for their families. Merlin’s also presented a $17,000 donation to Children’s Home & Aid to support every child, every family, thriving.
Children’s Home & Aid wants to give a big thank you to our other partners that helped make Snug Hugs for Kids a successful and inspiring event for our children and families:
- Advance AutoParts
- ALPHA MEDIA – WERV, WCCQ, WZSR-96.7, WFXF, WIIL, WXLC, STAR 105.5
- B95fm/WDKB
- Blue Cross & Blue Shield
- Chicago Wolves
- CUMULUS RADIO – WLS-FM, WKQX-FM
- Heidi’s Cake & Pastry
- Integra Graphics
- OnHold USA
- Resurrection Lutheran Church
- TOWNSQUARE MEDIA – WROK-AM, WXXQ-FM, WXXQ-FM, WZOK-FM
- S. AutoForce
- Virtues in Motion Dance Studio
- WBBM-AM
- WCIU-FM & ME TV
- WDRV-FM
- Wertheimer Box
If you were unable to donate clothing this year, but still would like to help: