MBLC Blog

Category: PJ Drive

  • More than 7,000 PJs collected for Kids and Teens

    More than 7,000 PJs collected for Kids and Teens

    Young Bruins fan poses with Bruins Mascot Blades at a Boston Bruins PJ Drive event at the Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester
    Young Bruins Fan with Bruins Mascot Blades at the Sawyer Free Library in Gloucester

    The 19th Annual Boston Bruins PJ Drive brought in a total of 7,364 brand new PJs for kids and teens in need across the Commonwealth! Library collections account for more than half: 3,958. Thank you, Libraries!

    There were 93 groups participating this year; 58 of those groups were libraries.

    The top three groups that collected the most donations were:

    • CBRE Group: 488 PJs
    • Choate, Hall and Stewart LLP: 390 PJs
    • Seekonk Public Library: 366 PJs
    Caregiver and child sit comfortably and listen to Bruins Mascot Blades story time
    A story with Bruins Mascot Blades is a good time for listening and sharing time together..
    Staff from Bridgwater Public Library pose with Ollie, the service dog, MBLC Director Maureen Amyot, Commissioner Debby Conrad, and representative from Cradles to Crayons at a Bruins PJ event.
    Taylor Silva poses with Ollie and Ollie’s person Lieutenant Sandy Piccard, MBLC Commissioner Debby Conrad, MBLC Director Maureen Amyot, Blades, and staffer from Cradles to Crayons.

    This year marks the 19th annual drive and the MBLC’s 17th year joining the Boston Bruins and Cradles to Crayons to collect pajamas for kids and teens in need. Many of the pajamas go to the Department of Children and Families who estimate that at any given time they’re working with 40,000 babies, kids, and teens. MBLC staff joined Bruins family members at the Cradles to Crayons facility to sort and create clothes packages to be distributed to families in need.

    PJ Parties with Bruins Mascot Blades were held at Swansea, Gloucester, and Bridgewater—thank you libraries for hosting these family fun events!

    Swansea Free Library Director hugs Bruins Mascot Blades
    Swansea Free Library Director hugs Bruins Mascot Blades

    Former Bruins forward P.J. Axelsson and his wife, Siw, started the PJ Drive during the Boston Bruins 2007-2008 season as a way to give back to their community. The couple collected 1,600 pairs of pajamas for Cradles to Crayons which connects with social service agencies in Massachusetts to identify specific children in need.

    Jenny Benedict, Director of the Sawyer Free poses with Bruins Mascot Blades and Senator Bruce Tarr
    Jenny Benedict, Director of the Sawyer Free with Bruins Mascot Blades and Senator Bruce Tarr
    Families sit together and listen to Bruins mascot Blades story time.
    Story time with Blades keeps everyone entertained.
    MBLC Staff and Bruins family members at Cradles to Crayons Warehouse with bins of donated clothes
    MBLC staff join Bruins family members at the Cradles to Crayons warehouse to pack clothing kits for babies, kids, and teens.

  • The 2019 PJ Drive was a Record Smashing Success!

    By MBLC Communications Director Celeste Bruno

    As MBLC staff member Rachel Masse said throughout the PJ Drive, “These libraries are killing it!” No truer words were ever spoken!

    Not only did libraries hit their goal of 10,000 PJs, libraries beat the goal for the entire drive (all organizations from the entire state)  of 12,000! Libraries collected 13,022 A new record of 138 registered for the drive–thank you to all the libraries that participated—even if your library collected 2 pairs, they make a huge difference to the kids who receive them.

    Results of the major rivalries

    Bourne vs. Norwood
    Champion by 782 pairs: Bourne

    Blackstone Valley Competition (Sutton, Whitinsville, Blackstone, Simon Fairfield, Millbury, Uxbridge, and Upton)                                    Champion by just 8 pairs!:  Whitinsville; Uxbridge Free Public Library will deliver breakfast to  Whitinsville

    MBLC vs. MLS
    Champion by 45 pairs: MLS; MBLC will deliver the PJ cup to MLS filled with chocolate.

    Statewide Results (each will receive 5 tickets to a Bruins game)
    #1 at 3,320 pairs of PJs is the  Jonathan Bourne Public Library
    #2 at 2,538 pairs of PJs is the Morrill Memorial Library in Norwood
    #3 at 742 pairs of PJs is Liam Fitzgerald (learn more about Liam)

    Winners of the 12 Days of PJs Prizes (random raffle, given out during the drive)
    Team-signed Bruins Hockey Stick:
    Salisbury Public Library
    Great Barrington Public Library
    Beverly Public Library (Main)

    Player-signed Jersey:
    Billerica Public Library (Brad Marchand)
    Westborough Public Library (Tuukka Rask)
    Whitinsville Library in Northbridge (David Krecji)

    Team-signed Jersey:
    Silver Lake Regional High School
    Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield
    Nashoba Regional High School

    Signed photo:
    Ventress Memorial in Marshfield (Patrice Bergeron)
    Hazen Memorial Library in Shirley (Pasternak)
    Beaman Memorial in West Boylston (Charlie McAvoy)

  • What you may not know about the 2018 Bruins PJ Drive

    By Celeste Bruno, Communications Director at the MBLC

    Collecting PJs to give to DCF kids is a good thing and libraries across the state have pitched in to be community collection sites. The Boston Bruins set a lofty goal for libraries—10,000 pairs in just over a month—and while we’re still counting, here’s some fun things you may not know about this year’s PJ Drive:

    • A new record high of 146 libraries participated—that’s up from 93, just three years ago!
    • ALL of Boston Public Library’s branches participated.
    • Trustees at Norwood’s Morrill Memorial Library matched the PJs donated by the public—very nice!
    • The Boston Symphony made a generous donation of 100 PJ’s to Great Barrington’s PJ Drive
    • First Lady Lauren Baker did the chicken dance at Chicopee’s PJ and Pancake Dance Party!
    • The Bruins made a one-of-a kind Team Jersey for Jonathan Bourne Public Library—the entire team signed it!
    • This is the very first year that a library from every part of the state has participated: from the Berkshires to the Islands!
    • More than 50% of libraries reached or exceeded their goal in spite of four Nor’easters.
    • First Lady Lauren Baker gave a shout-out to libraries during her NESN interview during a Bruins game.

    But please remember: No matter how many pairs of PJs you collected, each one makes a difference in the lives of the children who will wear them.

    Thank you to all the libraries that help make this drive such a huge success.