Chuck Roast - Kosovo Relief

Cards of Hope and Cheer from Mt. Washington Valley's Elementary School Children Over 1,000 cards sent to Kosovar Refugee Children with Polartec Fleece Pullovers.

KIDS' PULLOVERS TO KOSOVAR REFUGEES
CHUCK ROAST EMPLOYEES and MALDEN MILLS TEAM UP
TO MAKE 1,000 KIDS' POLARTEC PULLOVERS

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Students Send Cards of Hope

April 12...
Elementary students throughout the Mt. Washington Valley took time out of their schedules to create over 1,000 original hand colored or computer printed cards to accompany the Chuck Roast pullovers to the Kosovar refugees in Macedonia. Over the weekend Assistant Superintendent, Judy Wooster phoned the principals of each school and they all jumped in behind the project.

Because the pullovers had to be packed by mid-afternoon Monday, April 12, they needed to be rushed to the Chuck Roast factory upon completion. Most children are aware to some extent of what a humanitarian tragedy this has become, and this gesture is a way for our children to connect personally with the refugee children.

Polartec donated by Malden Mills arrives at the Chuck Roast loading dock.

1,000 Chuck Roast Polartec® Pullovers, stuffed with really cool hand-colored notes from local school children, left the Chuck Roast factory in Conway for Philadelphia and ultimately the long journey to Macedonia. At the time of the shipment arrangements for air freight were still being worked out by the American Friends Service Committee in Philadelphia. It is hoped that the pullovers will be flown from Philadelphia to Frankfurt, Germany and then flown into Skopje, Macedonia, where the airport is operating at maximum capacity with relief shipments.

Some of the Chuck Roast Kosovo Team as the shipment leaves via Ross Express who provided free shipping.

With a donation of a thousand yards of Polartec™ from Malden Mills, the workers at Chuck Roast rushed to produce one thousand fleece pullovers for the refugee children of Kosovo. "After seeing the images of the refugees on CNN all week there was no way we could stand by and do nothing", said Chuck Henderson, President of Chuck Roast, the New Hampshire manufacturer of children’s and adult outerwear.

Henderson asked for help from Malden Mills, the manufacturer of Polartec fleece, which has recovered from a devastating fire over two years ago. Malden donated ten thousand blankets to Khurdish refugees several years ago, and they are responding to this request from Chuck Roast by shipping the needed fabric. "After a very soft outerwear season, we weren’t in a position to donate the full production cost, and our stitchers and production staff volunteered to donate labor to get these pullovers made."

Perhaps the biggest obstacle was finding a way to get the pullovers to the refugees. There are dozens of relief agencies beginning to provide aid to the refugees, but initially they can do the most with money, not in-kind donations. The priorities are water, food, medical supplies, blankets, tents, and finally clothing. The pullovers will be shipped by the American Friends Service Committee to Mercy Corps which will distribute them to refugees in Macedonia. Mercy Corps International is one the leading relief agencies serving the needs of Kosovar refugees which are now estimated to number over 600,000.

Chuck Roast, with headquarters in Conway, NH, started in the outdoor business more than twenty years ago with the company founder sewing snow gaiters on his mother’s sewing machine. Today the company offers a wide array of adult and children’s outerwear featuring Polartec™ fleece and Berber fabric. All products are backed by the company’s 100% lifetime customer satisfaction guarantee.

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