Chicago North Shore Moms is so excited to introduce you to a truly inspiring community member making lives of Chicagoland children better every day. Margie Alpert is Vice President of the treasured local nonprofit Fill a Heart 4 Kids whose mission is to provide local Chicagoland homeless, at-risk, and foster children food, critical necessities, life skills and educational support to empower and build brighter futures.
In 2018 the Deerfield mom of two daughters (then in preschool) set out to find a local nonprofit to volunteer her time. As luck would have it, a good ‘ole fashioned Google search landed her on Fill a Heart 4 Kids. One volunteer project turned into more, then morphed into a board position and, finally, as vice president today. The full-time volunteer with a background in marketing is making ground-breaking waves leading six hope-igniting programs in collaboration with schools, religious groups and individuals who understand the necessity of “passing it forward.” When asked about impact, Margie states: “We strive to be an extended family to children who don’t have the means and/or are otherwise unable to receive these resources and opportunities.”
Get to know more about Margie’s giving spirit that is absolutely contagious, programs and impact of Fill a Heart 4 Kids in our local communities, the proven long-lasting success on youth from Fill a Heart for Kids and ways you and your children can turn volunteering into unforgettable family bonding time. Welcome, Margie!
Hi Margie! Please introduce yourself. Where are you from originally? Where do you live now? What brought you to your current town?
Hi Yall! I am Margie Alpert and I’m originally from New Orleans, LA. I currently live in Deerfield IL. After attending the UT- Austin, and living in Atlanta, GA, I decided to move to the Midwest, met my husband shortly thereafter in my late 20s, and have been in the Chicagoland area now for over 20 years.
I have two wonderful girls who keep me busy and on my toes. We also have a Cavachon who is 3!
Please introduce the nonprofit that you’re a part of, Fill a Heart 4 Kids!
Fill a Heart 4 Kids in a nonprofit organization based out of Lake Forest. The mission is to provide local Chicagoland homeless, at-risk, and foster children food, critical necessities, life skills and educational support to empower and “Build Brighter Futures 4 Kids!”
Initially, why did you choose to become involved with Fill a Heart 4 Kids?
Back when my kids were in preschool, I was looking for some hands-on volunteer opportunities for us to do together as a family. I Google searched and came across Fill a Heart 4 Kids (FAH4K). Once I meet Annie McAveeney, the founder, and heard stories of the many local children who are unhoused, at-risk and living in foster facilities, I knew this organization was something I wanted to dedicate more of my time to!
Margie Alpert at FAH4K’s first location in 2018.
What is your title and role at Fill a Heart 4 Kids?
I have a passion for helping others and a background in event and program management. I was at a crossroads in my career, and I started to volunteer more with FAH4K to bring awareness of their mission into my schools and community. Soon after, I was asked to join the Board.
Back in 2020, while my kids were e-learning from home during the pandemic, I decided to “lean in” more and help Annie with the backend/business side of the nonprofit. My passion and dedication has grown ever since. Today, I’m the Vice President and help daily. As I say, I am a full-time volunteer.
Highland Park Food Box Packing Event.
What was the impetus behind Annie McAveeney starting Fill a Heart 4 Kids?
In 2007, the McAveeney family opened their hearts and home to a precious baby in need of a temporary home. This experience exposed them to a world of vulnerable children living in under-funded foster care facilities and group homes. For 16 years, the McAveeney’s home has been a safe place for homeless children and teens across the Chicagoland area.
Feeling a need to help, Lilly, one of the McAveeneys’ daughters, asked her mom (Annie): ‘Who’s going to make kids without families feel loved like you make me feel on Valentine’s Day? Can we help children living in group homes?” Lilly and her friends made 38 Valentine cards and filled Valentine WeCare Packages for each child.
A little girl who received a gift said, “I used to cry on Valentine’s Day because I wanted a mommy so bad. You made me feel better. I knew we could find someone to love us. Please don’t forget me.”
Then Lilly’s sister Ellorie asked, “Who’s going to help kids feel special on their birthdays?” It was then that Fill a Heart 4 Kids (FAH4K) was then born.
HP Sherwood School Philanthropy Club event.
In 2008, FAH4K started igniting hope with Project Valentine WeCare Packages™ to help children living in group facilities feel loved and remembered on Valentine’s Day and other holidays. FAH4K gained 501(c)(3) status in 2015, broadening its ability to support at-risk Illinois youth throughout Lake and Cook counties. Today, FAH4K supports over 4,000 foster and homeless children annually by providing critical necessities, food, clothing, educational support, life skills opportunities, and enriching hands-on volunteer opportunities to “Build Brighter Futures 4 Kids.”
Project Cocoa event with Neighbors of Kenilworth.
What are some of the key programs and initiatives that Fill a Heart 4 Kids offers to support children facing severe poverty and homelessness?
On a monthly basis, we’re fielding requests from our more than 80 community and school partners to make sure the most vulnerable children have the necessities and extended resources to keep coming back to school. Below is an overview of our core programs:
MEAL SECURITY: We distribute over 230,000 pounds of food and food gift cards annually to help children get through Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks, and weekends when the safety net of school meals are not possible. Youth without access to food pantries need help to avoid putting themselves in dangerous situations just to eat.
EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT: We provide over 50,000 school supplies to foster and homeless youth annually so they can attend school prepared and ready to learn without shame. We also provide tutoring to children in group homes. Uniquely, we provide children in our program opportunities to volunteer with us to show them how far they’ve come, giving them a sense of empowerment and pride by helping others.
WINTER COMFORT: We provide winter coats, blankets, and seasonal clothing for children annually.
LIFE SKILLS: In the summers and throughout the school year, we work with the Waukegan School district, as well as with certain foster facilities, to provide enrichment and life skills classes and workshops, which include everything from STEM or do you do STEAM?, cooking and art to business building, finances, career ideas and educational field trips. Every activity is crafted with a hands-on experience while allowing the children to learn and realize their own potential. We truly hope we can help them build a Brighter Future by exposing them to ideas, activities, or career paths they never knew existed or thought were out of reach.
CELEBRATIONS: We host special life cycle events including birthday and graduation celebrations with local group homes to help children heal and feel valued.
CONFIDENCE BUILDING INITIATIVES: We provide monthly and seasonal “WeCare Packages” to help children feel special and cared for during holidays. Each month we focus on a different holiday or special event for all children to feel loved and supported. We’re about to start our Project Boo, Trunk or Treat, and Project Warm programs –please reach out to me directly to learn more!
DIGNITY RESTORATION: We supply year-round Toiletries 4 Dignity packages and other critical necessities for children to provide them with self-esteem, which increases school attendance.
Food Packing Event.
How does Fill a Heart 4 Kids collaborate with teachers, social workers, and children’s advocacy centers to identify and assist the most vulnerable children?
With the relationships we have created and nurtured, these amazing people reach out to us when they know a child is in need. We provide critical supplies to restore dignity, reduce peer shaming and increase academic attendance. We welcome children living in foster facilities into our inspiring, newly-renovated facility where we provide life skills opportunities, educational programs and special celebrations to increase foster children’s self-confidence and sense of belonging. We tutor at group homes, host special events and transform holidays into special experiences to help children feel loved and remembered. We strive to be an extended family to children who don’t have the means and/or are otherwise unable to receive these resources and opportunities.
What are some of the ways local families can get involved and support Fill a Heart 4 Kids, such as through donations, volunteering, or hosting events like lemonade stands, hosting parties for Parties 4 a Purpose, etc.?
What drew me to FAH4K is the numerous hands-on experiences they have! For families, children as young as 3 can help fill a care package and start to learn the value of giving back. We have volunteer opportunities six days a week in our facility; we also go offsite to partner locations.
We have multiple community wide events to help us fill food bags and boxes to sustain at-risk youth over school holidays– to providing a trick or treat experience for foster children by supporting our annual Trunk or Treat event for children living in foster facilities. We’re always looking for adults to help during weekdays and we have high school community service hour opportunities three days a week at our facility. We also have an incredibly active middle and high school Junior Board.
We rely on the amazing community support in terms of monetary donations! When people donate, it allows us to buy food and other essentials in bulk or at discount pricing so we can provide more to the children we support! It also helps us with inventory control and allows us to be consistent with our care packages so no child feels lessened.
The opportunities are endless!
Molina Healthcare Sponsored our Mobile Food Pantry and FAH Board.
We love hearing about those impacts! Please share the good news here.
There was a teenage girl who the FAH4K team met at a local foster home… prior, she lived on a train platform and due to lack of oral hygiene, she experienced a huge infection in a tooth. A wonderful bystander offered her help to get it looked at and her pain eventually went away. Due to that amazing person, she aspired to go to college to become a dentist. Through the support of Annie and Fill a Heart 4 Kids, she has been able to stay in school, have shelter, receive essential supplies and groceries, and has continued to apply for the scholarships needed to keep her in college and her dream alive. This is Building Brighter Futures 4 Kids in action!
Discover Card Financial Project Smart Event.jpg
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your work, and how do you and your team overcome them to continue making a difference in the community?
We are a small but mighty staff. Recently, the requests for our programs have grown significantly, as there are more and more kids who are experiencing homelessness and at-risk living situations in our communities. Without financial and in-kind support, we could not do all we do, and we don’t want to turn away any child who is in dire need! There are so many local children who don’t have the necessities many of us are lucky to have and provide to our own families. We rely heavily on our amazing volunteers, board members and community supporters. We can always use more adults who are looking to provide their time and talents to an amazing cause!
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about yourself or Fill a Heart 4 Kids?
The heart and passion of Annie and the team is infectious! If you’re looking for a cause that you can see firsthand, the impact of your financial donation and volunteer time, this is the charity to work with! It has been truly an eye opening experience for me and my family. I feel so forutuante to be able to raise my children in Deerfield and I hope the work I do with Fill a Heart 4 Kids will make my family more aware of the bigger world around them. I believe it’s essential for our young people to understand the lessons of giving back and making sure that those less fortunate know they have a caring community who are dedicated to helping them Build Brighter Futures!