Name and Location: Meghan McCloskey, Portland, Oregon
Pronouns: She/Her
Occupation: Founder and Owner, Craft + Boogie
President, Craft + Boogie Collective
Growing up, Meghan McCloskey’s mother was a wizard. When it came to holidays or small celebrations, she transformed the mundane into the magical with every detail of the food, decorations, crafts, and activities.
Twenty-five years and three children later, Meghan was working in a corporate job, stretched thin between home and work, with limited time to make the same incredible memories for her own children that her mother had for her.
“At home, in my spare time, I loved making things with my kids: crafts, art, holiday decorations, costumes for school projects—you name it! The problem was, as a full-time working mom, I didn’t have enough time with my kids as I wanted. My coworkers told me they felt the same,” Meghan recalls. “In response to that, I created my first craft kit: a hastily named “fun box” that I used with my kids and shared with 24 of my coworkers to help them celebrate the 4th of July with their families. I made no money (in fact, I lost some), but I made a difference. Those busy parents now had easy art and craft ideas and supplies, recipes, and screen-free games to play with their kids after work and school—no prep necessary on their part.”
From her first fun box, Meghan’s vision for Craft + Boogie was born. In 2017 she started curating these kits - filled with arts-and-crafts ideas, supplies, recipes, and screen-free games - making sure that parents had a turn-key experience at the ready to share with their own families. All of these traditions and ideas came from Meghan’s childhood experiences, and the little side hustle she started began to take on a life, and a purpose, of its own.
“I became inspired to grow this then-side-business for the sole purpose of funding craft kits for children in foster care. I realized kids in foster care were more deserving of quality family time than anyone, and I wanted to help them get it,” she says.
“In 2018, Craft + Boogie formed partnerships with multiple foster care resources, children’s hospitals, under-resourced elementary schools, and other organizations that provide emergency assistance and education. Volunteers came from all over our city to put rainbow-y boxes of crafts together—Girl Scout troops, church organizations, teams from Nike, and groups of friends who wanted to spend their “girls’ nights out” doing good in the community. Through our volunteer-run charity organization, Craft + Boogie Collective, we’ve served 4,671 U.S. children to date.”
When it comes to creating everyday memories, Meghan has turned the gift that her mother gave her into a successful and wide-reaching campaign to bring families together. Her days are filled with spending time with the women in the business warehouse, creating new crafts, taking photos or videos for projects, writing instructions, fulfilling orders, and preparing shipments for Craft + Boogie subscribers. She also makes sure to spend time connecting with her husband and her three kids, who she calls her biggest accomplishments.
We’ve asked Meghan what or who inspires her, and she chose two PDX points-of-call, Mimi’s Fresh Tees and The MOCKing Bird.
“Locally, I’ve been inspired by Mimi’s Fresh Tees. I love her message and her strength, and it’s been so awesome watching her brand grow this past year. As for foods, anything that’s creatively vegan. My family went 100% vegan in December 2019 to do our part in helping the environment. The most recent vegan restaurant I’ve visited is The MOCKing Bird, and it didn’t disappoint!”
And when it comes to socks, what pair does Meghan think best represents her?
“Taco Cat No Show! The cats remind me of my two cats at home. And tacos—yumm!”
Beyond her front door, Meghan’s focus remains on families, and what we can do to make them stronger and bring them together, no matter their background.
“A cause that I care about is foster care, and how we as a community can help decrease the number of kids entering the system (by treating drug addiction, abuse prevention, etc.) so families can stay together. Also the environment and the impact of animal agriculture on our planet, as well as local police reform.”
For her dedication to facilitating family time and giving the opportunity to make memories to families of every variety, we salute Meghan McCloskey! Thank you for being our Human of the Month, Meghan!
