National Crayon Collection Month
August 1 - August 31
About National Crayon Collection Month
National Crayon Collection Month takes place throughout August, running from 1 to 31 August 2026 across the United States. Led by the non-profit Crayon Collection, the month encourages families, teachers and restaurants to gather gently used crayons that would otherwise be thrown away and donate them to under-resourced schools in time for the new academic year.
What is National Crayon Collection Month?
National Crayon Collection Month is an annual campaign organised by Crayon Collection, a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded by Sheila Michail Morovati. The cause sits at the intersection of environmental sustainability and education: it rescues crayons from landfill and channels them, along with art education resources, into Head Start centres and Title 1 elementary schools. The campaign is timed for August so that classrooms are stocked with this most basic of supplies before the school year begins. It is aimed at anyone who eats out with children, runs a kid-friendly venue, or wants to support equal access to art education.
When is National Crayon Collection Month?
National Crayon Collection Month is observed every August. In 2026 it runs for the full month, from Saturday, 1 August to Monday, 31 August. The dates are fixed, so the observance falls in August each year, aligning the collection drive with the back-to-school period when demand for supplies is at its highest.
Why National Crayon Collection Month Matters
Crayons are made from paraffin wax, a petroleum by-product that does not biodegrade in landfill. An estimated 150 million crayons handed out at restaurants in the United States are discarded every year, many of them barely used. At the same time, teachers in underfunded schools routinely spend their own money on basic supplies, and children in low-income classrooms can lack access to the art materials that support creativity, fine motor skills and emotional development. Crayon Collection reports that pairing a single restaurant with a single school can save more than 2,000 crayons from landfill while putting them straight into the hands of pupils who need them. The campaign tackles waste and educational inequality at the same time, turning a small everyday object into a tangible act of giving.
How to Get Involved in National Crayon Collection Month
Taking part is straightforward and costs nothing. Here are practical ways to support the campaign during August:
- Ask restaurants to save their crayons – Speak to the manager of a kid-friendly restaurant and ask them to set aside the gently used crayons left behind by young diners rather than binning them.
- Run a collection at home or work – Gather unwanted crayons from drawers, art boxes and old colouring sets, then box them up ready to donate.
- Organise a school or community drive – Set up a collection point at a library, place of worship, sports club or workplace and invite families to drop off spare crayons.
- Donate directly to a local school – Take your collected crayons to a nearby Head Start centre or Title 1 elementary school, or hand them to Crayon Collection to redistribute.
- Encourage a hotel or chain to partner – Many hotels and restaurant chains give crayons to children. Suggest they join the recycling programme so collection becomes routine all year round.
- Spread the word online – Share the campaign with your network and explain how easy it is to redirect crayons from landfill to classrooms.
- Support the charity – If you cannot collect crayons yourself, a donation helps fund the art education curriculum that accompanies the recycled crayons.
- Volunteer your time – Help sort, pack and distribute crayons, or assist with art education sessions in participating schools.
History of National Crayon Collection Month
Crayon Collection was founded in 2009 by Sheila Michail Morovati, inspired by a simple observation made with her young daughter Sofia. After noticing how many perfectly usable crayons were thrown away at restaurants once children had finished their meals, Morovati set out to redirect them to schools that could not afford basic art supplies. What began as a local effort grew into a national organisation with a dual mission of environmental consciousness and art education.
The charity established its Crayon Recycling Program by partnering with restaurant and hotel chains that hand out free crayons to children. Rather than discarding them after a single use, participating venues collect the crayons and pass them on to local schools. As the network expanded, August was chosen as a dedicated month to galvanise communities around a single, focused collection drive ahead of the new school year.
The organisation has earned recognition from the U.S. Congress, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the LAUSD School Board and even Buckingham Palace. In August 2018 it set a Guinness World Record for the largest crayon donation in history, with 1,009,500 crayons collected. Today Crayon Collection supports pupils across the United States and in ten countries, infusing art and sustainability into vulnerable Head Start and Title 1 classrooms.
Noteworthy Facts About National Crayon Collection Month
- Around 150 million crayons given to children at restaurants in the United States end up in landfill every year.
- Crayons are made from paraffin wax, a petroleum product that does not biodegrade.
- Pairing one restaurant with one school can save more than 2,000 crayons from being thrown away.
- In August 2018, Crayon Collection set a Guinness World Record with a donation of 1,009,500 crayons.
- Crayon Collection reaches under-resourced classrooms across the United States and in ten countries worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Crayon Collection Month?
It is an annual August campaign run by the non-profit Crayon Collection that gathers gently used crayons from restaurants, homes and communities and donates them to under-resourced schools, keeping them out of landfill in the process.
When is National Crayon Collection Month in 2026?
It runs for the whole of August 2026, from Saturday, 1 August to Monday, 31 August.
Who founded Crayon Collection?
The charity was founded in 2009 by Sheila Michail Morovati, who was inspired by the number of usable crayons discarded at restaurants. Her daughter Sofia is credited as co-founder.
Spread the Word
Help raise awareness by sharing National Crayon Collection Month with your friends, family and followers. Use the hashtags #CrayonCollection and #CrayonCollection2026 on social media. The more people who know that a handful of leftover crayons can brighten a classroom, the bigger the impact.
Related Awareness Days
- Recycle Week – A national push to recycle more and waste less, sharing the same sustainability spirit as the crayon recycling drive.
- National Writing Day – A celebration of creativity and self-expression that, like art education, gives young people the tools to communicate.
- Guinness World Records Day – A fitting companion given Crayon Collection’s record-breaking million-crayon donation in 2018.
Links
If you care about cutting waste, you might also enjoy Recycle Week, which encourages households to rethink what they throw away, while creative campaigns like National Writing Day show why investing in children’s self-expression matters.
2026 Awareness Days Wall Planner
Every key awareness day at a glance. Perfect for offices, staff rooms, and team planning.
View Calendar →
