MIDDLETOWN -- Gretchen Hertler McInvale isn't a "winter person" but each year one warm event helps her through the frigid season: the delivery of items to newborns in need.
She doesn't do it alone. The longtime teacher at Middletown's Spencer Elementary School depends on her kindergarten class for help. McInvale's students assist in packing the boxes full of cozy blankets, knitted hats, adorable onesies and fresh pacifiers.
"They all write their names on the boxes," says McInvale. "It's a box full of love."
This year, the class will deliver 30 boxes to Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford on Valentine's Day to assist parents and babies during the cold weather.
The annual tradition was born 29 years ago when McInvale was in the hospital, giving birth to her first child.
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Check out this link for more information about the "Keep a Baby Warm" program.
