Above: For the seventh year, Southborough’s Lauren Dratch and Caroline Sullivan, are raising funds to buy gifts for children in the hospital over the holidays. (image from 2017 WCVB story)
Across the country today, people are celebrating Giving Tuesday. It’s always a great excuse to update you on two Southborough teens who continue to embody the spirit of the day. It also gives you a chance to double your “giving”. You can buy gifts for people you care about while funding gifts for sick children.
Pretzels for Presents
In 2015, Lauren Dratch and Caroline Sullivan successfully launched “Pretzels for Presents”. The then-Southborough middle schoolers sold gourmet pretzels to raise money for a worthy cause. Proceeds were used to buy presents for patients who are stuck in the hospital through the holidays.
That year they delivered a full carload of gifts to Boston Children’s Hospital. More recently, they have been collecting for Shriner’s Children’s Hospital:
The children receiving care there are mainly burn victims and children with cleft lips and palates, and they come from all around the world. The people at Shriners work hard to make the hospital feel like a home away from home for them, and the best part is they are able to treat these kids without charge.
Every year since, the community has generously participated, allowing them to deliver overflowing sleighs full of gifts to the children receiving care. Last year, they raised over $1,500. (Due to safety concerns, last year’s gifts were “Planners for Presents”. This year, they returned to their original concept.)
You can help them with their cause again this holiday season by donating directly or purchasing a pack of 4 candy coated pretzel rods for $5. This year’s choices are:
- Milk chocolate with caramel drizzle
- White chocolate with crushed oreo topping
- Dark chocolate with crushed candy cane topping
Orders must be in by Tuesday, December 21st.
To purchase pretzels, email Caroline Sullivan at carolinesullivan@stmarksschool.org or Lauren Dratch at laurendratch@gmail.com. Payments and donations can be cash, checks (made out to Caroline Sullivan) or Venmo (@Caroline-Sullivan-44). For more details, click here to read their flyer.
You can also watch them in this WCVB “5 for Good” spotlight from a previous year:
