Tag Archives: help poor children

Liz Collins | August 7, 2026

Dear Friends,

The first day of school should be a day filled with excitement.

Most children lay out their new school clothes, organize their supplies, and wonder what their new teacher will be like. They dream about seeing friends again and moving up to the next grade. But, for children living in poverty, those feelings can be mixed with uncertainty. Will their backpack last another year? Will their shoes still fit? Will they have the supplies they need when classes begin?

Lacking these essentials, and not knowing the solution to provide them creates a ripple effect that lasts longer than most can imagine. No child should feel embarrassed, isolated, and unprepared. They should be free to focus on what their education is really about. Each school year marks another important step toward achieving their goals and building a brighter future.

Every school year is a step forward.

A step toward graduation.

A step toward new skills.

A step toward greater confidence.

A step toward opportunities that can change a child’s future.

And that’s why the Hope In Action Fund exists. By ensuring the essential items are available, you make sure children start the year with dignity and hope. But we can’t do it alone.

Last fall, one of our volunteer coordinators met a student who couldn’t stop smiling after receiving a new backpack and school supplies. As she packed her notebooks and pencils inside, she proudly told her coordinator she was “ready for school now.” It was a simple moment, but an important one.

Being ready for school isn’t just about having supplies. It’s about feeling confident. It’s about knowing you belong. It’s about walking into the classroom focused on learning and excited about what lies ahead. We believe every child deserves the chance to begin that journey feeling confident and prepared.

The Hope In Action Fund provides the essentials children need for a successful year, including school supplies, uniforms, shoes, backpacks, and other educational necessities. With your support, children will receive the resources they need to begin the school year with confidence and hope. Together, we can help ensure that students start the year prepared to learn, grow, and succeed.

As another school year begins, we invite you to help children take this important step forward. Together, we can ensure they have the tools, encouragement, and opportunities they need to thrive.

Today is a chance to make a difference

Through our Hope In Action Fund, children receive the resources they need to begin the school year with confidence and hope. Together, we can help ensure that students start the year prepared to learn, grow, and succeed.

Because a Fresh Start Shouldn’t Depend on What’s Missing

Sincerely,

Liz Collins, President of Children Incorporated

Want to PARTICIPATE in our Hope In Action fund?

Liz Collins | March 17, 2026

Dear Friends,

Hunger isn’t just an inconvenience — it remains one of the most persistent barriers that dims a child’s chance to succeed. Around the world, millions of children struggle with food insecurity, and too many families don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Across the United States and around the world, children in poverty face a challenge no child should have to navigate: hunger. For too many families across the United States and abroad, the cost of food competes with rent, utilities, school supplies, and basic health needs. Children feel those sacrifices most. When kids don’t know when they will eat again, their ability to focus, grow, and thrive begins to slip away.

For over six decades, we have joined forces with local schools and community organizations to make sure children receive the nourishment they need, not only during the school day, but also on weekends, during school breaks, and in seasons of crisis, so hunger does not get the final say in a child’s future.

How the Feeding Program Works

IN THE UNITED STATES
Children take home bags of nutritious, non-perishable food from school on Fridays. This ensures they have meals throughout the weekend when free and reduced‑price school meals pause.
For families already stretched thin, these bags offer reassurance that their children will not face long gaps between meals. A $50 donation can can provide a filled backpack for a month. Could you find it in your heart to donate this amount for a child needing food?

AROUND THE WORLD
The Feeding Program provides daily meals or essential food supplies at partner schools in countries such as Guatemala, the Philippines, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Your $100 donation can fund a partner school’s nutrition program for an entire week.
In many of these communities, these meals are the most reliable nutrition a child receives, giving them the physical energy and mental focus they need to learn and grow.

Why this work matters now

Hunger remains one of the most persistent barriers to a child’s well-being and education. In America alone, millions of children face food insecurity, going without adequate nutrition because their families simply cannot afford it. Globally, lack of food and proper nutrition contributes to stunted growth, weakened immune systems, and limited opportunities for children desperately trying to rise above poverty.

Without consistent access to food, children aren’t just hungry, they’re at risk of falling behind in school, struggling with health issues, and losing confidence in their ability to succeed.

Here’s what your generosity can do

$25 – A week of school meals for one child.
$50 – One month of weekend food packages for a family in need.
$100 – Supplies can be purchased for the sustainment of community gardens.
$350 – Nutrition support for multiple unsponsored children in a high-need area.
$1000 – Long term nutrition support for an entire international school and their families.

What your gift means in Action

Food packages sent home on weekends or holidays give families peace of mind, so kids don’t go hungry when school isn’t in session.
Through our global network of local partners and volunteer coordinators, every dollar goes directly to putting nutritious food into the hands of children who need it — in the U.S. and abroad.

Today we ask that you stand with these children

When you give to the Feeding Program Fund, you join a compassionate community that refuses to let hunger dim a child’s potential. Consider making a gift to the Feeding Program Fund today. With every contribution, you help provide nourishment, stability, and opportunity to a child who is waiting for someone to care, someone like you.

Sincerely,

Liz Collins, President of Children Incorporated

Want to PARTICIPATE in our feeding program fund?

Rachel Luginbuhl | October 7, 2025

Dear Friends,

When I began working at Children Incorporated in February 2003, I entered a world entirely different from the one I had known for the previous twelve years. Both organizations where I’d served were highly effective child sponsorship programs, but what cemented my love for Children Incorporated was one specific trait – Heart! Here, staff spoke of children in the U.S. and abroad by name, often knowing details of their lives and circumstances. They never treated these children as numbers; they had names, stories, and futures. I was filled with awe and respect to witness the compassion with which employees and the wonderful volunteer coordinators worked together to give these young ones the assistance they needed to thrive. All these years later, I remain in awe of Children Incorporated, knowing that the true heart of the organization lies in its dedicated staff and their genuine desire to make a difference.

“The impact of Hope In Action is without words. It brings peace in the midst of horrible situations and provides necessary resources when needed most”

Children Incorporated is operated by individuals who care and truly want to help improve the lives of those we serve. Of course, like anyone, these good folks need their jobs and deserve to be paid for their work, but they do far more than simply come to earn a paycheck. They care about their work, and they care about the children. I have been honored to work alongside this rare and special group for more than two decades.

As I head into retirement after 23 years here, I’d like to ask a special favor. Will you help me raise $1,000 for each year I worked at Children Incorporated? The donations honor the incredible people I’ve worked alongside, both past and present staff members.

The funds will support our Hope In Action fund which provides assistance to children in times of extreme difficulty, such as natural disasters. There is always a great need for this, especially in our rural sites and international locations.

Any amount contributed is incredibly appreciated and will make a meaningful difference in the lives of many people.

Great thanks for all of the ways you have supported and continue to support the work of Children Incorporated.

From the heart,

Ronald H. Carter

Want to PARTICIPATE in our HOPE IN ACTION fund?

Children Incorporated | December 15, 2024

Dear Friends,

I turned 66 years old on December 2, 2024, and quite frankly, while I do not feel all that old, I have to admit I have many years behind me. My hope and prayer is that I have accomplished good things in my lifetime and that I have somehow positively impacted the lives of those who have walked life’s journey alongside me.

Help us honor our founder, Jeanne Clarke Wood, and her legacy. We, in exchange, will work diligently to improve as many children’s lives as we possibly can.,

Children Incorporated also has a lot of years behind it; sixty, in fact. The organization was founded in 1964, when I was just six years old, by an incredible woman, Jeanne Clarke Wood, whom I was blessed to meet and know many years later. Following Mrs. Wood’s vision for the past sixty years, Children Incorporated has been changing and improving the lives of children and families all around the world.

For sixty years, Children Incorporated has provided food, clothing, educational assistance, and a host of other resources to those who otherwise would have struggled or gone without. For sixty years, our loyal donors and sponsors have entrusted us with their generous contributions, allowing us to use those funds to provide backpacks filled with food to hungry children on weekends and during breaks from school, buy new shoes and school clothes for youngsters whose parents have been unable to afford them, and to construct housing projects, childcare centers, and dormitories in remote parts of the world.

For sixty years, we have strived to be open, honest, and transparent in how we do business. Our efforts have paid off with exceptional ratings from Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, GuideStar, and other nonprofit monitoring groups. For sixty years, we have honored Mrs. Wood by continuing the good work she started and so valued, and we have, indeed, been offering education, hope, and opportunity to thousands upon thousands of children and their families.

As 2024 comes to a close and Children Incorporated begins its sixty-first year of accomplishing good things and making positive impacts on innumerable children and families, we ask that you consider making a year-end contribution to our 60th Anniversary Fund. Help us honor our founder, Jeanne Clarke Wood, and her legacy. In exchange, we will work diligently to improve as many children’s lives as we can.

From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter

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Shelley Callahan | December 8, 2024

As he continues visiting our affiliated sites in India, Luis Bourdet, our Director of International Programs, meets with our volunteer coordinator at the J. Calvitt Clarke Home, who discusses how our sponsors are helping to keep young children from having to work instead of getting an education.

“The children come from rural communities around the area, but they may not have a school available near their villages. Therefore, they come to Dornakal for education.”

About the J. Calvitt Clarke Home

“The town of Dornakal, located about 100 miles east of Hyderabad in the southeastern Indian state of Telangana, is a region where poverty is extensive, especially in years when droughts destroy the rice harvest,” said Luis.

“Since so many families cannot adequately provide for their children’s education or basic needs, our affiliated site, J. Calvitt Clarke Home, serves as a beacon of hope. The home serves impoverished children in this region while also investing in their futures.”

“I visited the J. Calvitt Clarke Home this past summer, which is one of the oldest facilities in the Dornakal Diocese. I met with our new coordinator, Mr. Prabhakar, who told me about how the home provides boarding and school support to a little less than 40 children. The children come from rural communities around the area where they may not have a school available near their villages. Therefore, they come to Dornakal to board full-time during the school year and receive an education,” explained Luis.

How sponsors are making a difference

“The students at J. Calvitt have a busy schedule during the day, just as in the other homes I had visited during my time in India. The children are fed early in the morning and then sent to school. After school, they have a short time for recreation; then, it is time for homework. This hostel is for boys, and they are happy to be able to get an education, as most parents work in the fields, and the children would be there helping if not for being here and attending school.”

“All basic needs for the children are covered through the Children Incorporated program sponsor support. I did notice that the facilities need some improvement, as the dorm is large and could accommodate more children, but they would need more support to grow their attendance. The dorm was updated with the help of Children Incorporated some years ago, but without any maintenance, it needs upgrades, painting, and repairs in some areas. It has a large U-shaped main building, with a locker room and toilets at each end of the building and the dorm and homework room in the middle. The dining hall building is also used for homework,” said Luis.

“Regardless of the need for repairs, the boys are very happy in the home, and the support they receive from their sponsors is immense. I truly believe that our sponsors are the reason these deserving children are able to go to school and develop into educated young men.”

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child in that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | November 19, 2024En Español

After visiting the second of three of our affiliated sites in Mexico, it was time for Ron Carter, Yefiny Mena, and myself to travel from San Miguel de Allende to Guadalajara, where we would be meeting with our volunteer coordinator at the La Luz Home.

Remembering the visit before

When I was at La Luz two years ago with our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, a few of the children at the home stood out to me — most specifically, a small boy named Christian. Christian was only 3 years old at the time, which was younger than the other children there, who usually were 4 to 14 years old. He was allowed to stay at the home at such a young age because his older brother was there as well, and La Luz works to keep siblings together as much as possible since these children already have had challenging lives, with one or both parents in jail or otherwise unable to take care of their kids.

In the morning, after we arrived in Guadalajara, we were scheduled to visit the home. Isabella, who works at La Luz, and Liz, our volunteer coordinator, picked us up at our hotel. Along with them in the La Luz van were a few children — including an older Christian! Just as I remembered him, Christian was smiling ear to ear and excitedly chatted with us as we made our way through the city.

Seeing La Luz Again

When we arrived at La Luz, the children filed out of the van and hurried inside, eager to show us around. We started our tour of the home by visiting the boys’ dorm. No longer a small boy with a limited vocabulary, Christian talked in detail about the boys’ lockers, the art supply closet, and how the kitchen was organized, including showing us where they kept their pet rabbit’s food.

We then left Christian and the other boys behind to play in the courtyard, and continued our visit of the home with Liz, who showed us the central kitchen, the laundry room, the girls’ dorm, the study rooms, and the events hall.

Getting to see a glimpse of Christian and the other children growing up in a healthy environment was the most wonderful end to such a special trip to Mexico.

Liz explained that 25 children currently lived at the home, along with five sisters who were full-time staff members. A social worker was also at the home during the week to support the children and conduct home visits as needed. As Liz explained, some of the children have caretakers to go home to on the weekends, and some live at the home all week long. All the children attend local public schools, which are only a few minutes away by van.

Why sponsors are so important

Liz told us that the home is funded by a local hospital located next door, and although this ensures they can maintain the building and feed the children, there aren’t a lot of funds left over for other basic needs. Because of this, our sponsors, according to Liz, are incredibly helpful in ensuring the children have school uniforms, school supplies, and hygiene items while living at home. From everything I could see, this group of children was incredibly happy to have such a wonderful place to live where they had a caring staff and were surrounded by their peers.

Before the day ended, the children performed songs and dances for us, and I couldn’t help but notice just how delighted Christian was to be showing us the routine that he had practiced with the other kids. Getting to see a glimpse of Christian and the other children growing up in a healthy environment was the perfect end to such a special trip to Mexico.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD