Healthy Food Program

---

In an effort to help with childhood obesity and hunger of abused, neglected and foster children, Foster Kids Charity launched a food program in 2014, distributing nutritious food bags in Texas. We serve 500-1500 food bags per month but always need more (2500 at minimum) for additional offices around our area of service.

***We always need donations/funding for our food program so please donate!***

• One juice box (e.g. apple juice)
• One soft cereal bar or cracker (e.g. Goldfish, Fiber One bars)
• Fruit snack (e.g. Welch's, GoGo Squeez applesauce)
• Educational material (small coloring book) 
• Letter or note of encouragement

How to Donate

Are you ready to bring in prepared food bags or snacks for food bags? 

Feel free to drop off donations to our office at 12830 Hillcrest Rd, Suite 111, Dallas, Texas, 75230 anytime between 9am-5pm. Please call Raul for drop off or pick ups:  

Raul - Administration 469-6869805 

Restrictions

Due to a large number of allergies towards certain ingredients, please: 

no peanut butter, no nuts, no spicy flavors, no chocolate candies or plain chocolate bars (or any snacks that easily melt in the Texas heat).

• To feed abused & neglected children in CPS offices
• To feed children in CPS while their parents are under investigation
• To feed CPS children as their social workers transport them to court/shelter
• To feed children under the care of other social welfare agencies

Children living in foster care and in custody of CPS are at nutritional risk. Studies show health problems such as growth issues, anemia, and disturbed eating behaviors. Children of abuse are not fed regularly and are therefore consistently hungry. 

Our snack bags offer healthy snacks throughout the day to those children. Our  mission is to ensure that foster children in these situations have eaten a balanced meal during this already troubling process without concern for budget.

"Your snack bag program has been a great resource for our CPS caseworkers and the children they serve. This need was never even talked about until you started providing this service for us. Now our workers can't imagine what they would do without them.

I was recently in the office when a caseworker removed seven children all from the same family. They ranged in ages from 15 years old to a set of 18 month old twins. As you can imagine, it was a very upsetting situation for all of the children. It took time to find appropriate placements for all of the children. The children had to wait at the CPS office while these arrangements were made. I was in the front office when the worker walked up holding the hand of the 3 year old who was crying and saying he was thirsty. I suggested she just grab him a handy snack bag out for the drawer before I realized they were all gone. I was shocked to see how big the need was. We ended up finding a left over Capri Sun with no straw that we were able to give him.

These snack bags go a long way to make children more comfortable during such an upsetting situation. It helps other children to be able to focus on their family visits after a long day at school. The State does not have the resources needed to provide this service. We appreciate all that you do to make our jobs easier and the lives of these children more comfortable."

Brandi Kolander

CPS Volunteer Coordinator