Agape Development is a faith-based ministry serving individuals and families in Houston’s 77021 zip code, also known as the ‘OST/South Union’ community. Their mission is to empower children, teens, and adults through programs that promote personal growth, stability, and spiritual development. Agape offers a variety of services including summer camps, after-school programs, life skills enrichment for young adults, and housing guidance for those seeking temporary or permanent housing solutions. Additional initiatives include employment support, discipleship programs, community gardens, neighborhood celebrations, and clean-up events. By addressing the spiritual, educational, and practical needs of the community, Agape Development is working to create lasting change—one life, one family, and one neighborhood at a time.

The BEAR Necessities program, operated by BEAR…Be A Resource, includes two BEAR Rooms located in the Greater Houston area, both designed to provide comfort and a sense of normalcy for children involved with CPS or facing at-risk circumstances. These rooms are stocked year-round with new clothing, shoes, diapers, car seats, air mattresses, and other essential items to meet the urgent needs of vulnerable children. Serving approximately 3,000 children each month—and over 30,000 last year alone—BEAR helps ensure that children do not go without the basics, recognizing that sometimes the difference between attending school or staying home can be as simple as having shoes or school supplies, and the difference between a healthy infant and one in distress can come down to access to formula or clean diapers.

Every person who walks through the doors receives a full week’s worth of clothing—including shoes, new socks, and underwear—personally selected by caring volunteers to bring comfort, confidence, and dignity. These services are available to anyone facing hardship, from children in foster care and parents escaping domestic violence to veterans starting over and families rebuilding after disasters. Since 2013, the organization has clothed more than 150,000 people across Greater Houston, offering hope and a fresh start when it’s needed most.

As a ministry of Bay Area Christian Church, this program is dedicated to supporting foster families by allowing them to focus on bonding with and caring for their foster children. While families handle the important work of building relationships and providing stability, the ministry steps in to take care of the practical needs, easing the burden and ensuring families have the support they need to thrive.

Foster Village provides essential support and services to children entering foster care and the families who care for them. Through community donations, the organization assembles and distributes Welcome Packs filled with basic necessities such as clothing, car seats, cribs, and backpacks to help ease the transition during the first days after placement.

The Grandfamilies Outcome Workgroup (GrOW) is a national network of stakeholders that works across systems of care in support of kinship families. GrOW intentionally integrates the lived experiences of kinship caregivers in the evaluation methods, tools and resources it develops and shares. GrOW’s mission statement is to emphasize the importance of the application of evaluation tools to identify needs and support best practices in partnership with kinship families.

The Moses Closet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Tomball, TX, committed to supporting children and families in the foster, adoptive, and kinship community by providing essential items and compassionate care. Through generous donations, the organization supplies beds, cribs, car seats, furniture, and welcome baskets filled with toys, clothing, hygiene items, and Bibles to help children feel safe and valued as they transition into new homes. The Moses Closet also fosters meaningful connections with families through prayer, fellowship nights, and shared resources, while engaging the broader community to raise awareness and inspire involvement. For updates, stories, and ways to support their mission,

The Riverside Project provides vital support and resources for kinship families, helping them navigate the unique challenges of caregiving. Committed to empowering these families, the program offers access to information, essential resources, and meaningful community connections.

Additionally, the Riverside Project facilitates babysitter training through a certification process that covers key requirements for caring for children in foster care (excluding fingerprinting). Training topics include medication administration, transportation safety, trauma-informed care, and CPR, ensuring caregivers are well-prepared and confident in their roles.