Hand in Hand KC

At Hand In Hand KC our mission is to help low income children and families live their lives with dignity. In order to accomplish our mission, we ensure that the gifts given to these children are done so discretely. Children believe they came from their parents rather than the organization. We are also dedicated to making application easy so that as many people that need help are able to get that help. We do not require rigorous applications and demeaning proof of poverty. Rather, we rely on professional referrals.

In 1996, I was a school psychologist in the Turner School District in Kansas City, Kansas. My job at the time was to work with children from birth through age 8. I helped families understand typical child development, but also helped locate local agencies that could offer them support.

I was so surprised at the time to realize how many families lacked the necessities of life. Many children slept on the floor. There were limited toys in the homes, let alone books. That Christmas my husband and I purchased gifts for five children so that they would have something to open on Christmas morning. We also delivered beds to a few children so they were no longer on the floor. The next year we had a few more children without Christmas, so we called in the financial support of a few friends and family members. My good friend Regina DeMoss, who taught special education in the district from 1986-2018, helped purchase a few items for the kids. The following year, people started calling US wanting to know how they could help! Regina now coordinates the Holiday Gift Program every year. She has volunteers in each building in the school district who help call families, get wish lists, do the shopping with donations, and raise funds.

Because of the clear need, Hand In Hand was officially established as a public charity and has continued to grow for more than 20 years. The strength of Hand In Hand is based on being run completely by volunteers. It is with great pride that we can say that 100% of our donations go directly back out to children and families in need. We receive our referrals from professionals who work directly with children; mainly teachers, counselors, and social workers. I truly believe that these professionals know which children and families are in need. Because of this, Hand In Hand does not require proof of poverty, birth certificates, paycheck stubs, etc. If professionals who work with these children day in and day out tell us that a family is in need, we simply do our best to help.

Help from Hand In Hand comes from providing holiday gifts for hundreds of children each year. We know that there is no cure for poverty. We also know, however, that the best thing we have to offer those in our community who struggle– is DIGNITY. We never want children to know that their parents cannot provide gifts for the holidays. As far as the kids are concerned, the gifts come from the parents…..or Santa 🙂

-Farrell Weiers PhD.
Family First Center for Autism and Child Development