Crayon Collection Partners with Denny’s

By JACQUELINE PRIMO | Assistant Managing Editor

Crayon Collection, an international nonprofit organization founded by Palisadian Sheila Michail Morovati, collects gently used crayons from participating restaurants and redistributes them to preschools, Head Start centers and Title1 schools all over the country.

The schools win and restaurants avoid tossing out thousands of barely used crayons.

Now Crayon Collection is proudly partnered with Denny’s restaurants. Participating Denny’s locations in Los Angeles and Bakersfield are collecting the like-new crayons that diners leave behind for the benefit of local Head Start centers within five miles. Crayon Collection tested a pilot program with Denny’s in November and December 2015 with the intention to launch nationally in 2016.

With the help of the National Head Start Association, another partner of Crayon Collection, vulnerable children around the country will have access to art supplies that would have otherwise been thrown away.

“Denny’s participation is truly inspiring and motivating,” Morovati said.

“We believe that with the participation of Denny’s, the Crayon Collection program will be adopted in kid-friendly restaurants everywhere. We appreciate the extra work that Denny’s team members have taken on in this socially and eco-responsible initiative.”

Palisadian Ahmad Moalej has been the owner of a now-Crayon Collection-affiliated Denny’s restaurant location in Oxnard since 2010.

“Participating in the Crayon Collection program has been absolutely positive for everyone involved: kids, schools, employees, and our Denny’s restaurant has been recognized in the community. We are glad to be a part of this,” Moalej told the Palisadian-Post.

The Crayon Collection program is currently in five countries and in hundreds of restaurants and schools internationally.

Sixty-nine billion crayons are produced each year globally and over 22 billion are thrown away per year.

The Crayon Collection uses the process of collecting and redistributing these gently used crayons as a tool for teaching the benefits of community, recycling, reusing and reducing waste.

For more information, visit crayoncollection.org.