HEARTS IN ACTION

Fill a Heart 4 Kids fills foster children’s hearts with love and inspires a community to give.

It was 2007, and for the McAveeney family, what began as a single, instinctive act of compassion—opening their family’s home to a child in need—would go on to not only shape their own lives, but also to touch thousands of hearts across Chicagoland.

Having always wanted to make a difference for those in need, Annie McAveeney’s love for children led her to volunteer as a temporary foster parent, welcoming baby Mikey into her family. When it came time to return him to his family, the goodbye was painful, but it led to an outpouring of love that would go on to touch countless lives.

After dropping off baby Mikey, the McAveeneys walked down a hallway where Annie noticed a little girl quietly crying.

“The little girl was confiding in a boy who was also waiting for a family,” shares Annie. “I remember her saying, ‘I don’t want to go to my Valentine’s party because there will be mommies and I don’t have one.’ The boy then gently told the girl, ‘Pretend the room mom is your mommy so you don’t cry. That’s what I do.’”

That heartbreaking interaction stayed with Annie.

“Our car ride home was hard,” she recalls. “We tried to help our daughters, Lilly and Ellorie, process the heartbreak by sharing, ‘When you see hardship or something that needs to change, you have the power to help.’ I then asked, ‘How can you help the little girl who was crying?’”

Her daughter Lilly responded, “Who’s going to make kids without families feel loved like you make me feel on Valentine’s Day? Can we help the kids?”

That same day, Lilly and her friends created 38 handmade Valentine cards and WeCare Packages for children living in foster facilities. “The response was overwhelming,” Annie remembers. “The little girl who cried that day told us, ‘I knew we could find someone to love us. Please don’t forget me.’”

Later, Ellorie asked, “Who’s going to help kids feel special on their birthdays?”

This moment became the catalyst for Fill a Heart 4 Kids (FAH4K).

What started as a family project is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Today, FAH4K supports more than 2,800 homeless and foster children annually, with the numbers rising to over 4,000 during the winter. FAH4K provides clothing, toiletries, and school supplies—along with educational support, life skills programs, and holiday gifts. Partnering with more than 80 schools and social service agencies, FAH4K ensures children in crisis remain fed, safe, and in school.

Dedicated, compassionate volunteers are central to the nonprofit’s success, and the Barrington community is especially supportive. “Families here consistently volunteer and sponsor WeCare packages for children in desperate need, especially over the holidays, which are scary times for children who rely on schools for safety and nourishment,” explains Annie. “They support our Thanksgiving and winter break food box events to help children without access to food pantries get through the holidays.”

“Many children arrive withdrawn, carrying the weight of abandonment, abuse, and trauma,” she observes. “Through consistent support, peer shaming and social isolation are reduced. School attendance rises when kids have hope. None of this would be possible without our volunteers and donors—they make dreams come true! Seeing how families, schools, and businesses step forward once they learn about the children, that ripple effect of kindness is extraordinary.”

Annie eagerly shares FAH4K’s many success stories. “One of the most joyful moments was receiving a thank you note from a foster youth, who was once homeless and part of our Brighter Futures program, but is now in school to become a dentist! And a Barrington family began volunteering at children’s events through FAH4K and formed a deep bond with a young boy in the program,” she shares. “After two years of nurturing that relationship, they adopted him. Watching him finally feel safe enough to be adopted and have a family he always dreamed of was life-changing.”

Her next big dream is to open a Fill a Heart 4 Kids foster home—a safe space where children can heal, dream, and rebuild. “Beyond basic needs, children need hope and support to feel dignity so they can build brighter futures. Seeing a child’s face light up because you know their name, to give a child a home where they feel loved and safe—you cannot put a price tag on that.”