By Evelyn Taylor
Special to Brentwood News
Brentwood played home to the nation’s largest crayon drive and bake sale in history on National Crayon Day, collecting more than 11,000 crayons to help kids at Lincoln Primary Elementary School in Compton.
L.A.-based nonprofit Crayon Collection teamed up with MomAngeles and LA Mom Magazine to host the event on March 31, welcoming children and parents to stop by Brentwood Gardens and donate crayons, draw on large coloring book pages, enjoy baked goods provided by local parents, and learn about the impacts of recycling and helping children nationwide.
“I’m thrilled to share the joys of creativity with local kids on National Crayon Day,” said artist Ben Marazzi, who led the coloring activities. “This creative crayon drive is a fantastic teachable moment too, as being mindful of our environment is crucial to their future.”
There was also a live performance from Natalie Clark from TV show, “The Voice.”
The event was one of many National Crayon Day fundraisers nationwide, as a part of the Crayon Collection’s Epic National Crayon Drive and Bake Sale. The Crayon Collection focuses on gathering and redistributing crayons to children in underserved schools across the nation.
Most teachers spend approximately $750 a year on essential classroom supplies, according to the Crayon Collection. Founded by Southern California mom Shelia Michail Morovati, the non-profit redistributes gently used crayons to more than 1,000 Title 1 Schools and Head Start Centers across the country to help ensure that students have the tools they need to succeed.
In addition to donations from individuals, restaurants (specifically Denny’s, one of the Crayon Collection’s partners) often donate the used crayons left behind by customers.
“No child should have to attend school without the most basic of supplies,” Morovati said. “We really need the help of other conscious families to support our outreach to those in need.”
At the Brentwood event, the Crayon Collection not only aimed at accumulating crayons, but also provided lessons on the benefit of recycling to help the environment. By reallocating discarded crayons instead of disposing of them, the nonprofit hopes to help reduce damage to the environment caused by paraffin wax waste, a substance that takes decades to decompose.
For more information visit crayoncollection.com.
