By Dakota Antelman, Contributing Writer
Marlborough – The locally based Kits for Kids nonprofit wanted to go big with its second annual Networking with a Purpose event at the city’s Embassy Suites, Dec. 11. Organizers disagreed, however, on what “big” would look like.
Operations Manager Michelle Rice wanted to build 500 “emergency comfort kits” for local teenagers in need. Co-founder Jay Johnston, meanwhile, said he was aiming for 200. Ultimately, the event split the two expectations, churning out 300 kits packed with items to keep local teens struggling with poverty or other forms of instability comfortable and happy.
“Everyone had a good time,” Johnston said. “We put the kits together and then we sent them off.”
Now entering its third year since earning its 501c status that allowed private donations, Kits for Kids has exploded in size and charitable output. In 2017, they assembled 1,500 kits across all their events. Last year, they upped that total to 2,700. Now they’re expecting to finish 2019 with between 3,800 and 4,000 kits.
“We’re becoming more established” Johnston said. “…It’s kind of an internal goal to build more kits each year than [the] last year.”
That internal push, he says, comes from the friendly interplay of expectations like that between him and Rice. One event organizer sets a goal. Others seek to vastly exceed it.
Beyond that, though, Johnston touts the boost his group has received from regional and national businesses alike. While the majority of their cash flow comes from private donations, Kits for Kids has, indeed, recently accepted money from everyone from Walmart to the locally headquartered Main St. Bank.
“They’ve all helped us out recently and continued to push us forward,” Johnston said.
That money has helped Kits for Kids now run kit building events across Massachusetts and Connecticut. But just as it has grown, the group has also doubled down on its local activism and visibility.
Their partnership with the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce helped them earn the Chamber’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for 2019. They, likewise, marched in this year’s Labor Day Parade through downtown.
“That was fun for all of us,” Johnston said of the parade especially.
Then, there’s the Networking with a Purpose event. This second running of the event filled kits with staples like mittens, gloves, socks and other clothing items. Geared particularly towards teens instead of the typical younger target demographic for the organization, these kits also offered items like sunglasses and gift cards to local establishments.
“A lot of times at this time of year, the teenagers are overlooked for the younger children,” Johnston said of that focus in particular. “We wanted to have a special event where we were letting teenagers know that they’re getting remembered too.”
In the end, the attendees of this year’s Networking with a Purpose event did not meet Rice’s lofty goal of 500 kits built. But as they shattered Johnston’s goal of 200, they gave organizers like Rice and Johnston reason to hope for the future of their organization and its mission.
“We’re just trying to get our name out there,” Johnston said. “We want people to know who we are so we can build more kits and help more kids out. Who knows what it will be next year.”
For more information visit www.kitsforkids.org