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Click here to read our Winter Newsletter.


  • Happy New Year!

    As we start off 2012, we want to take this opportunity to thank all of our product and financial donors for your generous support in 2011. Thanks to you, we were able to provide millions of kids in need with new clothing, shoes, toys, books, baby supplies and more.

    Wishing all of you a year filled health, happiness and joy!

  • Focus on K.I.D.S. Newsletter

    Click here to read K.I.D.S.' winter newsletter

  • K.I.D.S. is recognized by leading organizations for its commitment to, and success in, helping children and families in need.

    • The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked K.I.D.S. among the top 2% of all not-for-profits, in its annual “Philanthropy 400” list for 2011.
    • Forbes Magazine has consistently identified K.I.D.S. as one of “America’s Most Efficient Charities” in its annual listing of America’s 200 largest charities.
    • Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in the country, has awarded K.I.D.S. their highest four star rating five years in a row.
    • The National Better Business Bureau has also awarded K.I.D.S. their highest rating five years in a row.

Mission Statement

Kids in Distressed Situations’ (K.I.D.S.) mission is to provide NEW clothing, toys, shoes, baby products, books and more to children and families challenged by poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, low literacy, military family service, major illness, incarcerated family members, and disaster survival. Over the past 26 years, K.I.D.S. has provided more than 67 million underprivileged and disaster-struck children with over one billion dollars of merchandise, giving these children, and often their entire families, hope and self-esteem through a gift of something BRAND NEW.

Click here to learn more about our 2011 accomplishments

K.I.D.S.’ donations are distributed through a network of nearly 1,000 local community social service agencies. With overhead costs consistently at 2.5%, K.I.D.S. is one of America’s most efficient charities and has earned Charity Navigator’s highest rating of four stars.

Agency Quote

“I would like to offer my immense gratefulness for your generous contribution of books and tee shirts for our 2011 Children's Holiday Party. It's not surprising that due to these hard economic times, we had a record high attendance this year of almost 500 children and families. Thanks to K.I.D.S.' generous donation, we were able to provide a precious day of fun and gifting to families who are either in shelters or living on the brink of homelessness.”

Arnold S. Cohen, President and CEO
The Partnership for the Homeless
New York, New York

K.I.D.S Launches a National Grass Roots Campaign

Throughout its history, K.I.D.S. has partnered with social service agencies across the country to distribute the new product that it receives as donations from manufacturers and retailers. In 2011, K.I.D.S. increased the list of "active" agencies with which it collaborates to ensure that merchandise is directed as broadly as possible to those in need.

Building on the foundation is has laid in every state of the country, in 2012, K.I.D.S. will establish an overall national campaign to solicit product, raise money and increase awareness that connects the dots between local and national activities. The major components of the national campaign include:

  • A national "Clothes for K.I.D.S." Drive throughout the country culminating in a national event;
  • Linking product donors with the five regional distribution centers in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Milwaukee, New York and Philadelphia to make the giving process more tangible;
  • Running local fundraisers in communities where K.I.D.S. has a presence;
  • Managing multiple forms of bottom up, top down communications among all K.I.D.S. stakeholders (e.g., product donors, cash contributors, agencies, local groups); and
  • Establishing real-time communication and interactivity.

Click here to read more.

Agency Spotlight

Amy Zeid was only 12 when a news item about a local burglary altered the course of her life. "I was devastated to hear that someone would steal toys from a homeless shelter," she says. With $400 in birthday money, she recruited some friends, purchased gifts and put together her very first Amy's Holiday Party for children. Several years later, she founded Creating Connected Communities (CCC), an organization in Atlanta, Georgia that provides teens with the tools and resources to become community leaders and assist people in need.

When CCC became a K.I.D.S. partner agency in 2011, Amy was thrilled - but even more so when she got her first donation. "Unbelievable. I don't think any one person could physically have the time or money to put together the amazing variety of toys we received," she says.

This Month’s Top Donors

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Click here to see all of our donors >