Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless

If you’ve ever taken a kid back-to-school shopping, you know the importance of getting all the right gear for kids to feel ready for school. Their eyes light up over little things like a new set of markers, bright white tennis shoes and a backpack with their favorite cartoon character. Before you know it, they can’t wait for the first day of school and even have their outfit picked out.

New clothes and school supplies go a long way to build students’ confidence as they head off to class. This is especially true for kids who are homeless, whose families usually can’t afford these back-to-school basics.

Every year, Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless helps thousands of homeless children and youth get backpacks, school supplies, gym shoes and much more through our Education Fund. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’ve been able to help more than 55,000 students through this program since 1996. Here are stories from just a few of those kids about how your donations make a difference:

• “We had a girl come in to shelter with only a pair of sandals. There was still snow on the ground. She initially had a hard time accepting our invitation to purchase boots for her as she didn’t want to be bothersome. In the end, however, she was very excited to have the opportunity to play outside at recess.” (Cornerstone, Bloomington)
• “David and Clarissa became homeless when their dad left and their mom could not afford to pay rent on her own. In the middle of winter, they arrived at the shelter, each with a garbage bag of clothing and a torn and duct-taped backpack. With funds provided by the Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless Education Grant, St. Anne’s Place was able to provide them with new backpacks and school supplies. Both David and Clarissa participated in after-school tutoring during their stay and are continuing to participate in the Aftercare Children’s Program, where they receive ongoing academic support.” (St. Anne’s Place, Minneapolis)
• “A 14-year-old boy was staying at the Family Service Center. During intake, his mother told staff that her son had never liked going to school, he had struggled in school and that it was always a battle to get him to go to school. But after receiving assistance from Family Service Center staff, as well as new school clothing through the Open Your Heart Education Fund, he actually seemed excited to go to school in the mornings. When asked what had happened to cause this change, he told our staff that the new clothes had helped him to fit in with the other kids at school. He felt better going to school because he finally had the items he needed, just like the other kids had.” (Catholic Charities, St. Paul)
• “Sarah came into our program from a homeless shelter which she was at because her home life was very abusive. She was 18 and was several credits behind in school and was convinced getting a diploma was not in her future. This grant allowed us to support her to attend school as well as summer school. We were able to provide clothing, school supplies and graduation pictures. Sarah graduated and will be attending college in the fall.” (YWCA Duluth)

Thank you so much for your support! Your gifts help homeless children feel confident and prepared as they begin a new school year.