Starbucks and Sylvia’s Children Partner Up For Spring Clothing Drive

HOLMDEL, NJ… Starbucks has partnered with Sylvia’s Children, a 501(c)3, to help raise funds for children in Africa. Sylvia’s Children is conducting a clothing drive at eleven Starbucks locations in New Jersey through June 15th. Participating locations are: Middletown, Marlboro, Matawan, Manalapan, Edison, Union, Westfield, East Brunswick, New Brunswick, North Brunswick, and Piscataway.

Items being accepted for the drive include all types of usable and wearable clothing for all seasons, shoes, handbags, belts, small hard and soft toys, including Beanie Babies, stuffed animals, and rag dolls; linens, draperies, comforters and small rugs. For a complete list of items accepted for donation please visit www.sylviaschildren.org. Donated items should be placed in 30 gallon black plastic bags and dropped in the collection boxes at the Starbucks’ locations listed above.

Funds raised from the clothing drive will be used to finance a desperately needed health clinic for children at the Mbiriizi Advanced Primary and Day Care School in Mbiriizi, Uganda.

The school is comprised of 1,001 children, 250 of whom are orphaned due to the AIDS pandemic. It is the first of many models of African entrepreneurship being created by New Jersey-based charity Sylvia’s Children, an organization which raises funds and awareness for orphaned African youth. The non-profit seeks to help the school create a self-sustainable economy for itself, which will then be shared with schools in surrounding sub-Saharan African villages.

Since its launch in 2003, the organization has succeeded in ensuring an annual sponsorship for 117 of the 250-orphaned children and has raised $400,000, all of which has gone directly to the school. It has built a well and a fully stocked library; purchased seven acres of land for corn planting and milling; constructed boys’ and girls’ dormitories with triple-decker bunk beds; built a playground; started a chicken business and sewing business and built three additional double classroom blocks as well as providing a full-time nurse and new stoves for increased cooking efficiency.

For more information visit www.sylviaschildren.org, call (732) 946-2711 or e-mail Sylvia’s Children founder Sylvia Allen at Sylvia@sylviaschildren.org