There are over 4,000 homeless children in San Francisco

All money raised will go towards healthy meals, warm shelter, and enrichment programs for children in San Francisco. We encourage you to join us by making a small donation that will have a huge impact for a child in our community. All proceeds will go directly to Children of Shelters. We can make a huge difference in their lives if we work together.

To make this more exciting, we're also going to give you credit whenever someone reshares your posts on Facebook or Twitter and we'll give you real-time data about the impact your actions have had on this campaign. You'll see exactly how many people you've reached, the dollars you're raised, and how you stack up against other supporters. There's a special prize for the top 3 supporters -- but more importantly, you'll be making a huge difference in the lives of homeless children.

About Children of Shelters

Children of Shelters is a San Francisco based nonprofit organization working to provide support and education for children living in or being served by the homeless shelter system. They specialize in providing unique educational opportunities, cultural experiences and enrichment activities for homeless and impoverished children. Children of Shelters also provides grants that support children’s academic achievement and character development because education and self-esteem are the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty.

What makes this nonprofit unique?

Low overhead: all donations go directly to COS programming. All administrative overhead is covered by board member annual contributions.
Over 90% of all COS activity is volunteer resourced.
An ability to deliver the “small things” that are often lost in federal and governmental family aid. Being able to continue art therapy, buy a school picture, or cook with family can be grounding during a time of transition.
A hands-on approach with each of our partners and a long-term commitment. They know we will be there for them as we have since 1995.
If a parent moves into family housing while the child is being supported by us, we will never pull funding and “penalize” a child for housing stability.

Homeless Children in San Francisco

There are approximately 4,000 homeless children living in San Francisco according to the Homeless Education Council.
These children are twice as likely as other children to be in poor health. Homeless children have higher rates of asthma, ear infections, stomach problems, and speech problems
These children are four times as likely as other children to experience delayed development.
School-age homeless children face barriers to enrolling and attending school, including transportation problems, residency requirements, inability to obtain previous school records, and lack of clothing and school supplies (National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009)
Homeless children are twice as likely to repeat a grade in school, and are significantly more likely not to finish high school. (Institute for Children and Poverty)