Published: November 15, 2008 09:44 pm         

Pajama drives aim to help children feel warm, safe

Every child should be able to snuggle down in a warm pair of pajamas and feel safe and loved, the president of the West Virginia chapter of the Pajama Program believes.

“It’s hard for many people to realize how many children right here in our community may not even own a pair of pajamas,” Selena Carpenter said. “Our program specifically targets children who have been removed from their home during an emergency situation, children awaiting adoption or children in shelters.”

The Pajama Program provides warm pajamas and books to need children. They are youngsters who do not have the comfort of a mother or father to tuck them into a cozy bed and read to them, Carpenter said.

“So many of us have fond memories of having had a parent read to us and tuck us into bed at night, but that’s just not the reality for children who’ve had to be taken out of their homes for some reason,” Carpenter said.

The program sponsors collections of new pajamas and books, which are then distributed in the local areas.

Several Beckley sites are now hosting pajama drives:

- PREIT Malls, the owners of Crossroads Mall, kicked off its Pajama Pileup Nov. 10 and will continue through Christmas.

- Rebekah Straub, with Bill Straub State Farm Insurance Agency in Beckley, will begin its drive near Thanksgiving and will conduct the drive through the end of the year. Anyone interested in donating can bring new pajamas, any size from infant to adult, and/or night time children’s books to the insurance agency located on Eisenhower Drive.

- Carolyn Pack, troop leader of Girl Scout Troop 8143 of Coal City, pitched the idea of a pajama collection on a larger scale to Girl Scout troops across America and has enlisted some international troops as well. The World’s Biggest Pajama Party, a one-day event to be held simultaneously by each troop, will be included with a Pajama Party, spa party or tailgate party. Those attending would bring pajamas and books to their specific location. The target date is Jan. 23, 2009, and will coincide with the National Girl Scout Cookie Kick-off. Pack extends the challenge to churches, businesses or hospitals that want to participate. For more information about this event, visit: http://freewebs.com/worldsbiggestpajamaparty or e-mail Carpenter at selena@pajamaprogram.org.

- Bob Evans Restaurant on Harper Road will be a collection site. Watch for a collection bin to be place there soon.

“Through the Pajama Program, we hope to contribute to a warmer, more loving environment for children when they are most vulnerable,” Carpenter said.

Items collected will all be distributed locally, unless there is an excess supply, she said.

“I doubt we will have to send anything to another part of the state because there are so many children we can serve here,” she said. “Every day, children you may see at a school, a football game or at the mall may be going back to a situation that might not be a home environment. Those children desperately need something that is all theirs and only theirs. They need to be able to snuggle into some new comfortable pajamas and feel safe and warm while they are waiting for that perfect home.”

Receiving sites are Burlington United Methodist Family Services, the Women’s Resource Center, Helping Hands and Family Options Providers. There are also sites in Morgantown and Lewisburg.

Carpenter learned about the program from “The Oprah Show” and made the necessary contacts to come on board with the first West Virginia chapter.

The Pajama Program began in 2001 in New York City, when founder Genevieve Piturro wanted to find a way to get pajamas and books into the hands of needy children. She had a special concern for children in transition — those in foster care waiting to be adopted.