Calming Kits

Empower Children for Success is helping community members deal with stress and anxiety. The goal for this project is to help parents teach their children how to regulate their emotions using the Calming Kit. Such kits can be an effective and positive parenting tool for reducing aggression and encouraging better behavior in children.

Our annual goal of $20,000 will ensure that we can produce and distribute enough kits to serve our key partners, including LUK, Inc. and the Handle With Care Collaborative, replenishing these much-needed tools for children and families /caregivers in the community.

Why This Matters: Access to Calming Kits equips children with the skills to navigate stress and emotional challenges, supporting social-emotional development and mental health. By providing these resources, ECFS strengthens children’s ability to thrive at home, school, and in the community, while also supporting caregivers, educators, and service providers who guide them.

Read our post about the November 2024 Calming Kit Volunteer Day

We have successfully raised enough funds thanks to donations from DCU Digital Federal Credit Union, Enterprise Bank, Workers Credit Union, CHNA9 and Women’s Circle of Giving to distribute purchased kits. Empower Children for Success partnered with Handle with Care, the Gardner Public School and family childcare providers in the region to share the Calming Kit tools to the recipents, children and families who need help with self-regulation and co-regulation.

What parents are saying about the Calming Kits…

“I just wanted to let you know that my eight-year-old son loves your Calming Kit. It’s super helpful on a long car ride, appointment I need to take him on, doctor appointment when he’s nervous, supermarkets, and everywhere else that is overstimulating for him. It’s so helpful to find something that is not just an electronic to help him be able to stay calm. It helps us to engage with him and help him learn to self-regulate his emotions. There are so many things in there that he can use with other people so it’s very helpful with his language pragmatics deficit.” -Daisy

“I cannot thank you enough for your calming kits that you gave my family. I feel like children’s mental and emotional health has taken such a toll since March of 2020. Being both a preschool teacher and parent to two young children I know the importance of being able to help children regulate their emotions and express themselves in a safe and positive way, and your bags help to do just that! The quality of the materials was so impressive! Here are a couple pictures of my daughter who loves using her Calming Kit at both school and at home. Thank you again for your dedication to children, I truly appreciate you taking the time to help make children a priority!” -Amanda

We have so far distributed 710 Calming Kits free of charge to families, as well as provided training on how to use the Calming Kits to parents and caregivers.  One of the methods we use for this training is by sharing this video that helps explain them.

Family Child Care Start Up Funds

Empower Children for Success (ECFS) is strengthening early education and care in North Central Massachusetts through the Family Child Care Start‑Up Funds, an initiative designed to expand quality, licensed family child care opportunities while supporting aspiring and newly established providers with the resources they need to launch and sustain successful small businesses.

Since its launch in 2021, this project has been made possible through generous funding from United Way, the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation. These partners share ECFS’s commitment to building equitable, community‑centered child care systems that increase access for families and create economic opportunities for caregivers.

The Family Child Care Start‑Up Funds provide critical financial support to cover initial business expenses such as licensing fees, safety equipment, classroom materials, training, and other start‑up costs that often pose barriers to entering the field. By reducing these financial obstacles, ECFS helps new providers establish high‑quality, stable care environments that meet the developmental needs of young children while contributing to the local child care ecosystem.

In Fitchburg, newly established family child care providers who graduated from the Leaders for Equitable Local Economies (LELE) Training Program, a collaboration between ECFS, NewVue Communities, and Fitchburg Public Schools also received start‑up funds from the City of Fitchburg. This targeted support has helped graduates turn their training into licensed, operating programs right in their own neighborhoods. It underscores the importance of intentional investment in local entrepreneurs and reflects a broader effort to grow culturally responsive, community‑rooted child care options where they are most needed.

Why This Matters:

Family child care providers are essential to filling gaps in care, especially for infants and toddlers and for families seeking flexible schedules. By equipping new providers with financial resources and business supports, the Start‑Up Funds strengthen the early childhood workforce, expand access to quality care, and foster economic resilience for providers and families alike, creating a stronger foundation for children’s success and community well‑being across the region.

Swipe Out Hunger: Gift Card Nutrition Support Program

Empower Children for Success (ECFS) is committed to addressing food insecurity with dignity, flexibility, and compassion. Through our Swipe Out Hunger: Gift Card Nutrition Support Program, we are helping individuals and families who rely on food pantries supplement their groceries with grocery store gift cards, giving them the freedom to choose nutritious foods that meet their household’s needs.

The goal of this program is to reduce hunger-related stress by providing direct, choice-based food support. While food pantries are essential, gift cards help fill critical gaps, allowing families to purchase fresh produce, culturally appropriate foods, infant items, and other necessities not always available through pantry distributions.

How the Program Works

ECFS collaboratess with local food pantries to distribute $25 grocery gift cards directly to pantry users. These gift cards are intended to:

  • Supplement monthly food supplies
  • Support healthier meal choices
  • Reduce financial strain on families experiencing food insecurity

By offering gift cards rather than pre-selected food items, the program centers dignity, autonomy, and trust, core values of our organization.

Community Support Makes This Possible

Thanks to early community support, we have raised $1,100 so far toward this initiative. On Saturday, December 13, 2025, we successfully distributed 44 grocery gift cards to pantry users in our community.

This initial distribution reflects both the urgent need and the impact even modest funding can have. Families shared that the cards helped them stretch their food budget, purchase fresh items, and feel supported during a difficult time.

Why This Program Matters

Food insecurity affects not just physical health, but emotional well-being especially for children. When caregivers worry about putting food on the table, stress levels rise, and children feel the impact. Swipe Out Hunger helps ease that burden, offering families a small but meaningful form of relief.

As we continue fundraising, our goal is to expand this program to provide ongoing monthly support to pantry users and reach more families across our service area.

Looking Ahead

We are actively seeking additional partners, donors, and funders to help us grow Swipe Out Hunger and sustain monthly gift card distributions. With continued support, we can ensure that families not only have food, but have choices, dignity, and stability.

Our long-term goal is to raise $50,000 annually, allowing us to distribute gift cards consistently throughout the year and respond quickly to community needs. With sustained funding, ECFS can disburse gift cards monthly and reach hundreds of pantry users with reliable nutrition support.

💙 Call to Action: Help Us Swipe Out Hunger

You can be part of the solution.

  • Make a Donation: A $25 donation provides one grocery gift card to a family in need.
  • Sponsor a Month: Help us fund a full month of gift cards for pantry users.
  • Become a Partner: Credit unions, banks, businesses, and foundations are invited to support this impactful program.
  • Spread the Word: Share this initiative with your network and help us reach more families.

Every donation makes a difference. Together, we can reduce hunger, restore dignity, and strengthen our community, one grocery trip at a time.

👉 Donate today or contact us to learn how you can support the Swipe Out Hunger – Gift Card Nutrition Support Program.

Together, we can help swipe out hunger one family at a time.

Coat Giveaway Project

Empower Children for Success (ECFS) is committed to ensuring that every child in our community stays warm, healthy, and ready to learn during the colder months. The goal of the Coat Giveaway project is to provide brand‑new winter coats and essential winter gear to children experiencing economic hardship, with a priority focus on supporting immigrant, BIPOC, and underserved families who face disproportionate barriers to accessing basic necessities.

By partnering with local organizations, volunteers, and community sponsors, ECFS distributes winter coats free of charge to children who need them most, helping to prevent cold‑related stress, illness, and school absenteeism. This initiative also fosters community connection and resilience, bringing neighbors together around a shared mission of care and support.

How the Project Works

The Coat Giveaway is made possible through donations of new coats, winter accessories, and financial support from community partners. ECFS coordinates with local schools, faith‑based organizations, and service providers to identify families in need and organize distribution events in convenient, welcoming community spaces. Recipients receive coats in a range of sizes to ensure all children , from toddlers through teens are covered for the winter season.

Why This Matters

Winter cold can create serious health risks for children who lack adequate clothing, including increased susceptibility to respiratory illness, hypothermia, and other preventable conditions. By providing warm coats and winter gear, ECFS helps remove a significant barrier to children’s comfort, safety, and ability to participate fully in school and community life. Every coat given is a tangible expression of community care, and a step toward equity in basic childhood needs.

Impact to Date

In recent years, ECFS has distributed over 130 winter coats annually, reaching hundreds of local children and families. The project places particular emphasis on supporting under resourced households, reflecting the organization’s commitment to equity and inclusion in all its initiatives.

Get Involved

You can help ensure warmth for every child this winter:

  • Donate a Coat: New winter coats and accessories help expand the reach of this project.
  • Sponsor a Distribution: Community partners can support event logistics and outreach.
  • Volunteer: Help at giveaway events or assist with collection drives.
  • Spread the Word: Share information with families and organizations who may benefit.

Together, we can make sure no child in our community goes without the warmth and dignity they deserve.

Food With Purpose: Fighting Hunger, Reducing Waste

Since 2023, Empower Children for Success (ECFS) has partnered with Hannaford’s Food Rescue Program to recover 300–500 pounds of fresh produce three times a week, ensuring that wholesome, nutritious food reaches those who need it most. In addition, ECFS collaborates with Panera Bread once a week and Dutch Kitchen multiple times weekly (as donations are available) to rescue bread, pastries, and other baked goods. These donations are distributed to local food pantries, extending the reach of healthy food throughout the community.

The Food With Purpose: Fighting Hunger, Reducing Waste project reduces food waste while addressing hunger and nutrition insecurity in under-resourced households. By redirecting surplus food from grocery stores and bakeries, ECFS not only provides immediate relief to families and individuals facing food insecurity but also contributes to environmental sustainability by keeping edible food out of landfills.

Why This Matters: Access to fresh produce, grains, and baked goods supports health and well-being, particularly for families and individuals in low-income communities. Food rescue ensures that every edible item has a purpose, strengthens local food systems, and builds a more equitable community where both people and the planet benefit.