Books Between Kids

Ten years ago, galvanized by the realization that many underprivileged children do not have access to books of their own, elementary teachers Amy Barnes and Sandra Ahlhorn launched Books Between Kids with a mission to get books into the hands of kids who need them the most. Since then, Books Between Kids has sponsored thousands of book drives and provided more than 2.3 million books to over 500,000 children across Houston. 

​​“If you think about the kids we’re serving, a lot of them are given their clothes, they’re given their food, and they don’t get a lot of choices,” said Kayla Hand, Executive Director of Books Between Kids. “So getting to help them choose books that they’re interested in and helping them discover different passions and new interests is really, really fun and special.” Books Between Kids also encourages community organizations to collaborate and provide books to children where traditional book fairs are not held. And their Book a Month program is a local Houston affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library that mails one book each month to the homes of children from birth to age 5.

Books Between Kids started out completely run by volunteers and is still operating with a slim staff and the generous help of volunteers. “We receive between 400-500 hours of help from volunteers each month. Volunteers help us count and sort books into a variety of categories including chapter books, picture books, Spanish books, and board books,” says Hand. “We really, really count on our volunteers to help us accomplish our mission, which is to build the home libraries of kids who otherwise would not have them. They always say that it takes a village, and we really are an example of that.”

Get Involved: Books Between Kids accepts individual and group volunteers to count book donations, review the condition of books, sort them into categories, and box them for school and community donation. Register for select days (based on warehouse space and availability) for 2-hour shifts or host your own book drive and schedule a dropoff at the Books Between Kids warehouse. 

The Birthday Joy Program

Many children who live in homeless shelters, group homes, and other disadvantaged situations have never experienced a birthday party. The Birthday Joy Program’s goal is to remedy that by bringing celebration into the lives of disadvantaged children in Harris and Galveston Counties. The brainchild of Nonie Fairchild, The Birthday Joy Program features three different celebration packages designed to lift the spirits of kids on their birthdays. The Birthday Fixins Bags: Each bag contains everything you need to hold a birthday celebration, including cake mix, frosting, candles, plates, napkins, cups, balloons, and a gift. “As someone who grew up experiencing poverty at times, I know how getting to celebrate with something special on your birthday is memorable and really does instill hope and bring joy,” said Birthday Joy’s Board of Directors President, Kim Jackson. The Shelter Party package consists of games with prizes, cake and ice cream, and food and drinks. The birthday child receives a gift based on their interests and a personalized pillow. Joy Bags contain a new children’s book, a Whataburger coupon, and two small toys like Pop-Its, small stuffed animals, bubbles, slinkies, etc. Joy Bags are donated to partner schools with a high population of low-income families.

The Birthday Joy Program works with organizations like Communities in Schools, who pass on the organization’s information to parents and groups that might qualify for assistance.

Get Involved: Adopt a birthday child, donate a cake, host a donation drive at your organization, make a financial gift, or volunteer at a party. Fill out a volunteer application from their website and let them know what areas you’re interested in.

Kids Meals Inc.

In Houston, approximately 360,000 children experience food insecurity every year. In the 2021-2022 school year, the Houston Independent School District served roughly 200,000 free meals to qualifying students. For some, this is the only meal they can expect per day. Kids Meals Inc. primarily helps children preschool age and under get the food they need. “During the first five years of a child’s life, about 90 percent of their brain develops,” said Chris Nelson, Communications and Development Coordinator at Kids Meals Inc. “If that child does not have consistent nutrition during that portion of their life, it can have lifelong consequences.”

Kids Meals Inc. delivers upwards of 5,000 meals a day to children in more than 46 zip codes in Harris and Montgomery Counties. “There was a time when feeding 5,000 preschool-age children a day was just a dream,” said Cynthia Stielow, Kids Meals Inc.’s Chief Development & Communications Officer. “The fact that we achieved that this year with the help of tens of thousands of volunteers and donors is pretty exciting. It definitely encourages us in our goal of feeding 26,000 children a day by 2031.”

In addition to preschool service, the organization provides meals to older siblings up to the age of 18 when school is not in session, reaching up to 10,000 meals per day on average during the 2022 summer season. “The idea is to bring hope to these families who are really struggling and need some extra help,” Nelson said. 

“There’s only about 35 of us. And the reason we’re able to deliver 1.7 million meals this year is that more than 20,000 volunteers join us in making this a possibility, whether they’re volunteering in person or in our kitchens. If you care about food insecurity and children facing hunger, then there’s no easier way to get involved,” Stielow said. 

To sign up a child for the program, fill out an application on the Kids Meals website or at one of the recruiting events at neighborhood centers or apartment complexes. The best part? Meals begin delivering as soon as 24 hours after getting signed up. 

Get Involved: Visit the website for shift availability and volunteer opportunities like food drives, lunch packs, and more.