Mission Accomplished: 2018-2020 Crayon Projects for MLK Day of Service

Our Crayon Collection drive has run multiple years now to support the Martin Luther King Day of Service projects sponsored by the Melrose Human Rights Commission. Everyone in the congregation is invited to donate thier unwanted crayons every year, especially very gently used crayons which can be donated. We have crayon collection boxes at local schools and businesses.

We’re collecting crayons not only to save some of the 150,000,000 non-biodegradable crayons going into landfills each year, but also to support schools in need of supplies and save their teachers some of the hundreds of dollars of their own pay which they spend each year in order to supply basic classroom supplies.

This is an opportunity for your child to reach out to the community and help lead a change while fostering both an awareness of privilege and the impulse toward compassion. On the MLK Day of Service, crayon donations will be sorted at FUMC, by color and by degree of wear. FUMC children and volunteers will make kindness notes to the children who will be using the donated gently-used crayons in nearby schools. Well-used crayons will be melted down and made into shapes for gifts.

2020 MLK Day of Service wrap up

Our third annual MLK Day of Service a glowing success
The Melrose Community turned out in large numbers, including many repeat volunteers from previous years, setting the church abuzz with activity, smiles, and helping hands to create and package hundreds of crayons for the MA Department of Children and Families!
Every year, the genuine helpfulness and cheerfulness of our Melrose neighbors inspires us and practically begs us to do more to facilitate community service here in Melrose.  Please extend a huge thank you to anyone you know who came out to help!

A special word of thanks goes to some FUMC volunteers who made the day run smoothly: Jacq Bastoni, Joan Green and her grandson John, Karen Williams, and especially Robyne Tanner, who helped organize and prepare for this special day.
And again, a huge thank you to each and every one of you who helped sort, strip, and chop crayons in advance of MLK Day!!  This is not token appreciation — it really, truly made all the difference.  Your work enabled us to prepare hundreds of crayons ahead of time, which enabled volunteers to start packaging crayons right away.  Your chopping enabled some grateful repeat adult volunteers to avoid blisters and hand cramps this year while also providing ample provisions for children to make their new crayon creations.  We learned this lesson well: to make a start-to-finish experience possible on MLK Day, this processing in advance is key – thank you!