The teachers and students at D’Ippolito Elementary School are holding their sixth Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive to benefit children. They are collecting from students and families, as well as reaching out to the community to get more pajama donations to help kids in need. Through the promotion of the PJ Drive in this and other papers last year, many anonymous donations from the community were sent, which greatly increased the number of pajamas collected.

The drive will run through Friday, December 9. Only brand new pajamas will be collected in all sizes from newborn through adult. The pajama drive is organized in partnership with Pajama Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting a comforting bedtime routine for children affected by instability in order to help them thrive. Once donations are reported to Scholastic, it will pair each set of pajamas collected with a new book, and through The Pajama Program, will be donated to a local organization.

Last year, 367 sets of pajamas went to The Family Support Organization on Delsea Drive, The Salvation Army on Chestnut Avenue, The Cumberland Family Shelter on Mays Landing Road in Vineland, and The Holly Family Success Center on East Main Street in Millville.

Students who donate a new pair of pajamas will be able to wear their own PJs to school on Friday, December 23, as a reward for their generous gifts.

Donations from the community can be dropped off or mailed to D’Ippolito Elementary School, 1578 N. Valley Ave., Vineland, NJ 08360.