Gadue’s Dry Cleaning is dedicated to community issues, particularly those regarding the welfare of children.

Back to School

In 2007, Gadue’s Dry Cleaning began its first ever Back To School program.  Back to School provides fully stocked backpacks to children in the greater Burlington area.  Many families in our community are finding it harder and harder to provide even the basic supplies that their children need to start the school year off right.  Gadue’s Dry Cleaning purchases quality backpacks and fills them with supplies donated by our generous clients and wonderful staff.  In five years, we have supplied over 900 deserving students from Kindergarten through High School with grade appropriate basic supplies.  We invite the community to join us in our efforts in supplying our students with the tools they need by dropping off supplies or monetary donations at any of our locations in July and August.

Suggested supplies:

Pencils, Pens, Pencil Boxes or Pouches, Colored Pencils, Crayons, Markers, Ring Binders, Notebooks, Paper, Erasers, Glue Sticks, Rulers, Hole Punches, Scissors, Pencil Sharpeners

Coats for Kids & Families

For more than 30 years, Gadue’s Dry Cleaning has collected new and gently used coats from the community every year as summer turned to fall.  These coats were cleaned free of charge and distributed to local agencies, who put them into the hands of neighbors who needed them the most.  Over the years, thousands upon thousands of coats, snow pants, hats and mittens have been given to children and adults who have a new defense against a cold Vermont winter.  Beginning in November, items can be dropped off at any Gadue's Dry Cleaning location!

Toys for Kids

“Toys for Kids of Vermont” is the major effort of the Donald Cook Detachment, Marine Corps League.  They operate the largest Christmas toy collection program in the State of Vermont. Toys for Kids is an entirely volunteer program which collects new unwrapped toys during the pre-Christmas season and oversees their distribution to needy children.  Among many other locations, toys can be dropped off at any Gadue’s Dry Cleaning location.

Read to Ride

In 1995, Mark Gadue created Read to Ride, a children’s literacy program.  The Read to Ride program was beautiful in its simplicity: Vermont kids between the ages of 6 and 14 read a book, filled out an entry form, and dropped it off at a participating sponsor, library, school, or organization.  That was it!  Every entry form represented a chance to win a bike at the end of the summer.  Read to Ride originally ran for nine years, ending its first run in 2003.  During the course of those nine years, Vermont children read over 200,000 books for the program and won hundreds of Trek mountain bikes, books, and other prizes.  In 1999, Mark Gadue was chosen as a national Point of Light winner for his work in children’s literacy.