Fill a Heart 4 Kids

What Fill a Heart 4 Kids does

Fill a Heart 4 Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois, that delivers food, school supplies, hygiene products, winter clothing, and birthday/holiday celebrations to foster and homeless children across Illinois. The organization operates through 14 distinct branded programs spanning year-round needs (Project Backpack 365, Project Smart, Toiletries 4 Dignity, Project Feed, Party 4 A Purpose) and seasonal initiatives tied to specific calendar windows (Project Warm, Project Elf, Project Cocoa, Project Gobble, Project Boo, Project Valentine, Project Hop, Project Flip Flop). It partners with 85 schools and social service agencies and serves 2,875+ youth annually, scaling to 4,800 in November and December during the holiday surge. In 2025, the organization sponsored 650 foster children and hosted over 400 packing and delivery projects.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform. Its operating model is built around volunteer-organized packing and delivery events held six days per week at its Lake Forest headquarters, with bulk-purchased supplies assembled into unit-priced donation tiers ($7 school breakfasts, $15 dignity kits/pencil cases, $23 weekend food bags, $25 backpacks, $35-$50 child sponsorships) and hand-delivered to children. Distribution runs through three channels: direct delivery to recipients, corporate and group volunteer events for team-building and CSR, and downstream channel partners (the 85 school/agency network).

The go-to-market is community-led and multi-stream: individual donations via PayPal, corporate sponsorships and team-building events, in-kind donations via an Amazon Wish List, and grassroots fundraisers (Lemonade 4 Brighter Futures lemonade stands, Party 4 a Purpose birthday parties). The organization is led by Founder/President Annie, supported by staff including Margie Alpert, with 14 total employees. It is funded entirely through charitable contributions and holds no equity, parent company, or subsidiaries.

Name

Fill a Heart 4 Kids

Legal name

Fill a Heart 4 Kids, Inc.

Website

https://fillaheart4kids.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fill a Heart 4 Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Lake Forest, Illinois that delivers food, school supplies, hygiene products, clothing, and birthday celebrations to foster and homeless children in Illinois through 14 programs and an 85-school partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster and Homeless Youth Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Resource Centers & Wraparound Support Services (EDACALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), School Feeding & Social Protection Partnerships (Conditional Cash Transfers, etc.) (EDADALAL)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Foster care support
• Homeless youth assistance
• Nonprofit social services
• School supply donations

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals via PayPal or check, supporting food bags, school supplies, toiletries, and seasonal projects for foster and homeless children.
2. Corporate Sponsorships & Team Building Events: Corporate partners sponsor children, donate supplies, or host team building volunteer events at the organization, providing revenue and operational support.
3. Community Fundraisers: Community-led fundraisers including Lemonade 4 Brighter Futures lemonade stands and Party 4 a Purpose birthday parties, where participants raise funds for school supplies and gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fill a Heart 4 Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides food, school supplies, toiletries, winter clothing, hygiene dignity kits, and birthday celebrations to foster children and homeless youth in Illinois. The organization operates 14 distinct programs covering food security, school readiness, seasonal warmth, holiday celebrations, and trauma-informed care, sourcing bulk supplies and closeouts tax-free to maximize donor impact and hand-delivering items directly to recipients.

Product overview

Fill a Heart 4 Kids is a nonprofit organization operating as a charitable social services provider, not a technology company. The organization offers a portfolio of 14 distinct programs supporting foster and homeless children in Illinois. Programs include school supply initiatives (Project Backpack, Project Smart), seasonal clothing drives (Project Warm, Project Elf), holiday meals (Project Cocoa, Project Gobble), celebration events (Party 4 A Purpose, Project Boo, Project Hop, Project Valentine), hygiene support (Toiletries 4 Dignity), and food security programs (Project Feed). The programs work together to provide comprehensive support addressing food, clothing, educational supplies, and dignity needs for at-risk youth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Project Backpack 365: School supply distribution program helping children start school prepared and ready to learn.
• Project Smart
• Project Warm 4 Kids
• Project Elf 4 Kids
• Project Cocoa
• Project Boo
• Project Gobble
• Project Valentine
• Project Hop
• Project Flip Flop
• Lemonade 4 Brighter Futures
• Toiletries 4 Dignity
• Party 4 A Purpose
• 4 Kids' Community

Products and services

• Project Backpack 365

Quantifiable outcome

• School attendance, knowledge, and dignity rise when children receive consistent support
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 85 Schools & Social Service AgenciescoreOthersPartnership network of 85 schools and social service agencies across Illinois that work with Fill a Heart 4 Kids to identify and serve foster and homeless children in need of food, supplies, and support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Together We Rise: National nonprofit serving foster youth with backpacks, birthday boxes, and college supplies. Closest mission analog to FAH4K's foster-child support model with a broader geographic footprint.
• Toys for Tots: Marine Corps Reserve program that distributes toys to children in need during the holidays. Similar seasonal donation-driven model and gift-distribution approach to FAH4K's holiday programs.
• Operation Warm: Manufactures and distributes coats, shoes, and socks to children in need nationwide. Direct overlap with FAH4K's Project Warm 4 Kids winter clothing program.
• Backpack Buddies: Provides weekend food bags to children who rely on school meal programs. Direct overlap with FAH4K's Project Feed weekend food bag program and child hunger focus.
• Comfort Cases: Provides backpacks and supplies to children entering the foster care system. Overlaps directly with FAH4K's Project Backpack 365 and Project Smart programs targeting foster and at-risk youth.
• Cradles to Crayons: Provides children from birth through age 12 with everyday essentials they need to thrive, using a volunteer-driven distribution model. Comparable operating approach (volunteer-pack-and-deliver) and child-focused mission.
• Dignity Grows: Provides menstrual and hygiene products to people experiencing poverty and homelessness. Closely mirrors FAH4K's Toiletries 4 Dignity program in addressing hygiene poverty and dignity for at-risk youth.
• Birthday Blessings: Provides birthday parties and gifts to children experiencing homelessness or poverty. Direct overlap with FAH4K's Party 4 A Purpose birthday celebration program for foster children.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National network of food banks serving children and families facing hunger. Provides a macro-level reference point for FAH4K's child-focused food distribution programs.
• No Kid Hungry: Share Our Strength's national campaign to end childhood hunger through grants, advocacy, and programs. Operates at much larger scale in the same child food insecurity space as FAH4K's feeding programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FillAHeart4Kids
• Facebookfacebook.com/fillaheart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fillaheart-4-kidss

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fill a Heart 4 Kids