AIL Community Supports It Takes a Village

Supporting It Takes a Village This Season

This winter, our community came together to share warmth and care with our neighbors through a winter clothing donation drive in support of It Takes a Village (ITAV), a women-led nonprofit serving families across Western Massachusetts. Thanks to your generosity, essential winter items were collected and shared with families who need them most—reminding us how powerful it can be when a community shows up for one another.

A Collective Effort to Meet Real Needs

Throughout the drive, community members donated new and gently used winter clothing to help support ITAV’s ongoing work. These contributions helped stock vital programs that provide families with free access to basic necessities, easing financial stress and meeting immediate needs during the coldest months of the year.

Why It Takes a Village Matters

It Takes a Village is dedicated to being the “village” every family deserves. What began as one mother helping a neighbor has grown into a one-of-a-kind model serving all four counties of Western Massachusetts. Using the science-backed Protective Factors Framework, ITAV supports families before, during, and after difficult seasons—addressing postpartum challenges, meeting children’s basic needs, and nurturing emotional well-being.

Over the past decade, ITAV has distributed $3.4 million in essential supplies and delivered critical services to nearly 27,000 people, all through the dedication of a small staff, committed volunteers, and a mission to stretch every dollar as far as possible. Their work includes a large family basic needs free store, diaper access in rural communities, postpartum home visits, school-based free stores, caregiver support groups, and workforce training partnerships.

As one community member shared, “Your organization has changed my life. Thank you so much for all that you do!”

Grateful for the Impact We Made Together

We were proud to partner with and support an organization that is actively breaking cycles of isolation and poverty while building strong, resilient communities. Every coat, hat, and pair of gloves donated represented care, dignity, and hope for a neighbor.

Thank you for helping us live out our shared value of loving where we live—and for reminding us that generosity, when shared, truly multiplies.