Warm the Children

The Warm The Children program provides new basic winter clothing and footwear for children in need, ages birth through age 12, in the greater Middletown area which includes the communities of Middletown, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, Durham, Middlefield, and Haddam. Each child is allotted up to $90*. If under age 4 they will receive an allotment of up to $70*.

The Process

The families are referred to us by various sources including public elementary & middle schools, Middletown Adult Education’s Even Start, as well as some social service agencies including Haddam Social Services, Cromwell Human Services, and Middlesex Hospital’s Family Advocacy programs. We do not take individual requests.

Based upon funding availability, Warm The Children establishes the number of children to be served during the upcoming winter season. Each agency/school is then given an allotment of referrals they can make for the season.

Once the school/agency teams have identified the children of families with the greatest need, information regarding Warm The Children is sent home to the parent/guardian. If they consent to participate in the program, the school/agency contact provides Warm The Children with the parent/guardian contact information and the name(s) and age(s) of the child(children) to be served.

Changing Times

While our goal to provide warm winter attire for children in need remains the same, our method has had to evolve with the times.

In 2022 Warm the Children continued its partnership with JC Penny to provide affordable quality clothing & footwear to those we serve. The JCP Commercial Customer Service Department has created, specifically for our program, a digital catalog of quality discounted attire. All of catalog items have been pre-approved by the Warm the Children Coordinator.

The Kiwanis Club of Middletown is currently looking into new partnerships for the 2023-2024 year. New details will be announced soon!

Program background

The Warm The Children program in the Middletown area was established in 1992 by Middletown Press publisher Mack Stewart. The Middletown program was one of about 30 Warm The Children chapters contained within its own 501c(3). The Middletown Kiwanis provided support in the form of donations and volunteers to the Middletown chapter. In 2008, The Kiwanis Foundation was recognized as a 501(c) (3) and, as such, became the sponsor of the Warm The Children program for the Middletown area.

Funding the Program

The Chronicle newspaper published by The Rare Reminder and The Middletown Press are supporting partners providing ad space in their publications and publishing articles about the Warm The Children program.

These ads with donation coupons help to generate much needed funds to purchase the clothing for our families.

Grant support has also been received in recent years from organizations including: The Community Foundation of Middlesex County- Mountain Laurel Fund, The City of Middletown – Public Health Block Grant, The United Way of Middlesex County – Women’s Initiative.

All donation monies and grants received for Warm The Children are used to purchase new clothing. No donation is too small or too large. There is no payroll; the program is all volunteer, and any incidental costs are paid for by the Middletown Kiwanis Club.

If you wish to donate to the Warm the Children program please visit our donation page.

*Note the dollar amounts per child are reviewed yearly for any adjustments deemed necessary.