Clothing New England’s Kids with Dignity

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Anastasia Gross. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

For unhoused children or those in low-income, basic items like a warm coat or sturdy shoes can make all the difference. That’s why the Massachusetts nonprofit Cradles to Crayons exists: to provide children with the resources they need to feel confident at home and school. High school student Anastasia Gross is a key part of this mission. Dedicating 16 to 20 hours each month as a weekend volunteer, Anastasia helps turn clothing donations into essential packs for local families at the C2C Giving Factory.

Inside the warehouse, Anastasia sorts garments by type, size and style so that every child receives a properly fitting outfit. She cleans and organizes donated shoes, assembling complete take-home bags. Her attention to detail extends to sustainability as well; she identifies unwearable items and redirects them for textile recycling. Cradles to Crayons serves hundreds of thousands of children annually, a scale that relies directly on volunteers like Anastasia.

Her impact grew in the fall of 2025 when she joined the Teen Leadership Corps. In this role, Anastasia collaborates with local student councils to organize seasonal clothing drives across multiple schools. From rallying peers for winter coats and boots to gathering spring layers, she manages the logistics from the initial school donation bins to the final delivery at the Giving Factory, turning local schools into active hubs of community support.

Anastasia’s hard work, friendly spirit and commitment make her a joy to work with. Read on to hear more of her story.

Tell us about your volunteer role and organization.

The organization is Cradles to Crayons, and I volunteer in the Boston branch. I’m a member of the Teen Leadership Corps, so that means me and a bunch of other teens work together, and we each host clothing drives. I volunteer every weekend for about two hours at the warehouse that they have with all the clothes, which is called the Giving Factory. I fold clothes, I organize them I put them into outfits, I sort them by size and by type. Another part of my job is to go around and empty out all the bins that have all the clothes that they can’t use, and then bring them across the warehouse to recycle them.

For the clothing drives I do, my mom is a teacher, so I go to her school, and then I host a bunch of clothing drives there. At the end of every season, I take all the clothes from the lost and found, I bring them home and I wash them, and then bring them over to Cradles to Crayons.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

My school is right near the organization. My school has volunteer groups that go over during some of the weekends, so I just started going over, and it was pretty fun. Then I applied to be a member of the Teen Leadership Corps, and I got in.

Why is this issue so important to you?

I can’t understand what it feels like not feeling confident going to school because of lack of resources or not being able to get the clothes that I need. I really feel for the kids that can’t do that, who feel insecure about going to school, and don’t feel confident themselves because they don’t have the right clothes or they don’t have enough clothes. I think that we should all be able to donate and help out for this cause.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

I’ve just been kind of playing it by ear, where I’m just hosting clothing drives at the end of every season, cleaning out the lost and found, doing stuff like that. It’ll be difficult for me to continue this when I go to college, which is going to be after next year, because I’m a junior now, but I hope I’ll come back and try to keep volunteering whenever I can help out.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

It’s helped me with my perspective, because I feel like everyone lives separately in their own lives, and I feel like I’m just so detached from people who live different lives or have different opportunities. At Cradles to Crayons, I meet all these new people, and then I get to help so many other people, and it just makes me feel really connected to the community. It makes me really happy to do this.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Because of confidentiality, I’ve never been able to meet the actual children that I help, but it’s been really rewarding when I can do a clothing drive and then see how many clothes I have and think, “Wow, this will help 50 kids get the clothes they need to go to school,” or “Wow, this number of coats will be enough for 30 kids to be able to stay warm this winter.” That just makes me really happy.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

It doesn’t cost you anything except your time. I feel like most people can definitely spare two hours a week. But I feel like now people are always on their phones. I know I can spare two hours a week to help someone, and help many people who are real and have their own lives, and who just need some help.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

There are a lot of different places that you can volunteer with, and a lot of different roles you can have. It’s okay to start small, and then you can move your way out from there, or try a bunch of different places. Before my current volunteer role, I volunteered putting care packages together for soldiers in the Middle East. I also volunteer at my school all the time with the toddlers that we have, who are really cute. I feel like Cradles to Crayons is a really good place for people to volunteer, because you can quantify how many people you’re helping, which is just really rewarding.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Anastasia? Find local volunteer opportunities.