MARLBOROUGH – Thanks to Santa and dozens of volunteer elves – including Kits for Kids, Marlborough Hospital, the Greater Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club and the Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce – local children in need, especially teens, will have a brighter holiday.
On Nov. 28, the annual Networking with a Purpose event took place. The second-floor ballroom at Apex Entertainment Center on Route 20 turned into a series of assembly lines. On top of long tables, donations sat ready for packing into book bags. These included toiletries, brushes and combs, small toys and games, stuffed animals, hats and gloves, notepads and pens, stuffed animals and gift cards.
After a bit of networking and many words of thanks, the crowd filtered into the ballroom and began assembling the kits. Within 20 minutes, 300 bags – complete with stuffed animals poking out of the top – were ready for distribution.
Santa joined in assembling the kits, along with Mayor-elect J. Christian Dumais, and city councilors Sean Navin and Donald Landers.
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“This is such a fun event, and it’s much appreciated,” said Steve Messineo, president and CEO of the Greater Marlborough Chamber of Commerce.
According to Kits for Kids co-founder Heather Johnston, many of these kits will head to Marlborough Hospital, where they will bring comfort to children in the emergency room.
“Some of the kids who come to the ER are really in need,” said Ellen Carlucci, the vice president for development marketing and communications for Marlborough Hospital.
Johnston said she is already planning for 2024; she wants to begin collecting donations soon and to help more agencies.
Kits for Kids began in 2006; it distributes 2,600 kits to families in need on a yearly basis.
For more information about Kits for Kids, visit www.kitsforkids.org.
