When Fill A Heart 4 Kids founder Anne McAveeney fostered a little boy, she was moved by the reality of the lives of the children in the orphanage. One little girl there was very upset that she didn’t have a mom and cried because she had no one who loved her or to give her Valentine’s Day presents. 

McAveeney’s daughter, Lilly, went to the orphanage with her mom and wanted to make a difference to help the children, so she made Valentine’s care packages for the orphans with her friends. This process continued and eventually Fill a Heart 4 Kids was created so that every kid in foster homes could feel loved on holidays. 

Fill A Heart 4 Kids is a local non-profit organization located in the heart of downtown Lake Forest. They donate care packages and survival packs to foster children and homeless youths in the area. The group has helped many children of all ages. One girl that was tutored at the organization was recently accepted into the University of Chicago. 

“She used to sleep at a bus stop on the platform and was homeless for so many years of her with her mom,” Anne McAveeney said. “We’re so excited.” 

Fill A Heart 4 Kids also provides homeless and foster children with school supplies. They have donated over 50,000 school supplies each year to ensure these kids are able to stay in school and have the materials they need. 

“A lot of kids start dropping out of school when they run out of school supplies. We had this one girl and she dropped out of school when she was really young because she had to dumpster dive for supplies,” McAveeney said. 

The organization holds 370-400 events every year, so there are many ways to get involved.

“We read books to kids, we have math and reading, we call it a club because the kids get really excited,” McAveeney said. “One little girl never went to school until she was 16 years old, so when we do book club and math club it really makes them feel special. It’s amazing!”

High schoolers can join by tutoring kids and helping them with school, along with many other opportunities. One time, Fill A Heart For Kids helped a young girl who wanted two things for her birthday: clean socks and cheese popcorn. This started a tradition and created a reoccurring project for the organization. Currently, the organization has a Happy Cheesy Sock Day workshop where volunteers make care packages filled with socks and cheese popcorn. 

There is also an Easter workshop coming up. Sign-ups for these events are on their website at a variety of dates and times. 

“My favorite thing is working with the kids individually and making gifts for them,” junior Molly Kelly, who volunteers at Fill A Heart 4 Kids 2-4 days a week, said. “Being able to give them the gifts makes the whole experience.”

Service hours can also be acquired by making TikToks or posting on social media about the organization. Promotions and fundraisers can help the organization grow and help more children. 

“You don’t really realize the impact you have on these kids until you see your work pay off,” Kelly said.