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Editor & Publisher, December 31, 1994

The rewards of doing good

MACK STEWART IS a former New England newspaper publisher who wants to help newspapers to clothe poor kids - and in the process create good will for the newspaper and business for retailers. 

 If it sounds like a no-lose situation, it is, except for Stewart, who says he is the only one losing on Warm the Children, the not-for-profit company he established in 1993 to organize free-clothing programs for poor children at newspapers around the country. Run by his wife, Natalie, and himself from their home in Higganum, Conn., Warm the Children has cost him about $2,000, despite having established programs at 14 papers, mostly in the  Northeast.

"It provides a community relations effort that requires not a great deal of effort, very little money and creates enormous good will because of the great good that it does for the less fortunate in the community," he said recently while soliciting the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.

It works this way: Newspapers run the program.  In the fall, they solicit donations of money from readers and others, mainly through ads and stories about how the program provides clothes to needy kids.  The money goes into a special account in a local bank and can only be spent on clothes, not administrative costs.  Newspapers negotiate for discounts with local retailers and with a social service agency, such as the Salvation Army, to screen and refer applicants. Volunteer shoppers, recruited by the newspaper, meet approved needy  families at predetermined stores and help them select the clothes they need. "No Barbie dolls, no Batman cameras,” Stewart said.  "This is winter clothes for needy kids."

Warm the Children helps newspapers set up the program, trains the coordinator, licenses the name and provides story ideas and camera-ready ads.  Newspapers pay the equivalent of the cost of  a 1/3-page ad the first year, less thereafter. Stewart said Warm the Children has an annual budget of $65,000, some provided by foundations, and neither he nor his wife take salaries. "It's something we believe in very much,' he said of the program he developed while publisher of two Connecticut papers.  "And the newspapers that do it, my God, they just love it."

David Goddard, publisher of the Middletown (Conn.) Press, said the program helped 147 area kids in the harsh winter of 1993-94.  In a letter to Stewart, echoed by other participating newspapers, Goddard said, "A special spirit of caring and kindness spread through the newspaper and the town of Middletown, as volunteers, although time-pressed by the Christmas holidays, came forward to help.' '

"Some of the parents that we served actually cried with joy because they  were able to buy new clothes for their children," said Jane Kane, business  manager at the Recorder in Greenfield, Mass.

The Bennington (Vt.) Banner's first year was 'a smashing success," said Mark Nesbit, general manager.  Although the program took a lot of effort,  it won accolades from citizens and pumped $12,000 into the cash register of the paper's largest advertiser, JCPenney. George Garneau

Publisher’s Auxiliary, August 1, 1994

Ex-publisher takes ‘Warm The Children’ project nationwide

by Amy Hurlbut

HIGGANUM, Conn. - A former publisher has found a way to Promote holiday cheer within the newspaper industry, as well as boost community relations and provide for a worthy cause.

Mack W. Stewart, with his wife Natalie, has established a fund-raising program titled  “Warm the Children," devoted to working through newspapers to clothe needy children with new, warm winter clothing.  “Warm The Children" has already enjoyed tremendous success with newspapers such as the Torrington (Conn.) Register Citizen and the Middletown (Conn.) Press.  Stewart started the drives at the two dailies between 1986 and 1991 during his positions as publisher, and modeled the current program off those campaigns.  His idea originally derived from a similar program with the Record, in Troy, N.Y., where he was advertising director from 1975 to 1986.

"It is the best community-relations program that I ever had anything to do with," Stewart said.  Furthermore, Stewart said the campaign is distinctive because every penny raised goes directly to the drive, not to administration.

The project is designed to be simple and easy for newspapers.  "This is very much a local effort," Stewart said, "It is owned and controlled by the local newspaper."

"Warm The Children” begins through news articles and "house ads' requesting donations.  The incoming money is deposited into a newspaper's "Warm the Children" account at a local bank. The newspaper works with a community social service agency, such as the Red Cross or the Salvation Army, to identify names and provide phone numbers of eligible needy families.

The newspaper recruits volunteers from its staff and the general public to take the children clothes shopping at a specific date and time.  A previously arranged agreement is made between the newspaper and designated retail stores to give discounts off regular price to the shoppers.  All purchases are to be billed to the newspaper's "Warm the Children” fund. Response to the program has been very positive, participants report.

Mark Nesbit, general manager of the Bennington (Vt.) Banner, said the key to the Project’s success there was the paper's front page promotions, and letting the public know where the money was going. The Banner helped clothe 155 local needy children and raised $12,000, which went to its largest ROP advertiser, JC Penny Co.

Nesbit said he was attracted to the program because it was a "key-turn" project, with the foundation already laid by Mack Stewart.  He said the Banner had many applicants to be volunteer shoppers, including community business leaders, and that he had to turn away some.  Also, Nesbit created a permanent "Warm the Children' fund because of extra money received after the project was completed.

The Daily Southerner, in Tarboro, N.C., worked with Belk department store, which gave the shoppers 20-25 percent off selections.  Publisher Jerome Creech stated that the effort was "part of being a corporate citizen," and that everyone involved benefited from the program, especially the children.

The job of Warm the Children, Inc. is to provide a "formula" for newspapers to make the program work with a minimal amount of effort.

For more information, contact:
Mack or Natalie Stewart at "Warm the Children,"
P.O. Box 431, Higganum, Conn., 06441-
0431, (203) 345-4873.

Editor’s note: since the article appeared the
area code has been changed to 860.

NewsBEAT, New York Press Association, June, 1996

‘Warm The Children’ warms kids, readers, publishers

by David Pierce, editor of The Springville, Journal, Springville, NY

Many metropolitan daily newspapers  have holiday season charity drives designed to benefit some needy people in a city or an entire region. Our Springville Journal "Warm the Children Fund" was formed following discussions with Mack Stewart at last year's NYPA Spring Convention.

The concept is simple: The newspaper solicits funds from readers to take area needy children on shopping trips for brand new winter clothes their families are unable to provide.  For a small upfront fee (equivalent to a 42-inch ROP ad for the first year), Stewart provides the newspaper with the WTC name, IRS tax-exempt status, guidelines for everything from selecting an independent social service agency to make the referrals of families in need, to finding volunteers, to accompany the families on the shopping trips, to reaching agreements with local clothing stores to participate. There are no administrative fees, with all funds going directly to purchasing clothing for needy children.

Stewart, a retired newspaper publisher who lives in Higganum, CT., also provides periodic updates on how other WTC newspapers around the country handle such things as program promotion and instructions to participants.

The WTC structure enables individual newspapers to adapt the program to their local circumstances.  When local Wal-Mart store managers agreed to be an outlet for clothing purchases, they responded to our request for a Wal-Mart discount by offering  to give each child a free pair of boots.

Based on that offer, the Journal reduced the recommended maximum amount spent on each child from $80 to $65.  This made it possible to clothe more children.

Newspapers may use any of a number of local social service agencies to make referrals of needy children.  We utilized area school districts, with most referrals relayed through school nurses.  Forms were sent by nurses to the children's homes, then returned to the school office.  The Journal saw the forms only if the family agreed to participate, ensuring confidentiality.

Meanwhile we obtained a list of volunteers to accompany the families on the shopping trips.  Their job is to assist in the actual purchases, protecting the integrity of the program.  Volunteers signed up at service club meetings and at the schools.

Purchases were limited to basic clothing deemed sufficient to keep the children warm while outdoors.  This included jackets, snow pants, mittens and thermal underwear.

Public response to the program in our six-town circulation area was tremendous. Many said they were thrilled to give directly to helping their friends and neighbors, rather than to regional charities based in nearby Buffalo.  Area businesses and organizations also gave.  All segments of the community contributed, even those who have voiced dissatisfaction with our news coverage and/or editorial views.

Even after discontinuing active fund raising in the first week of December donations continued to pour in.  Our final total was just under $14,000, the highest per-reader figure of all 30 WTC newspapers last year.

  We took 110 needy children on shopping trips, which left us with a substantial surplus.  This spring we formed an advisory board which decided to invest some of the surplus in a six-month certificate of deposit  to earn interest for next fall's campaign.  We also agreed to form a year-round emergency fund for such things as providing clothes to child victims of a house fire.

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