HOUSTON – Kay Phillips, a foster mom in the Cypress area, has had trouble finding baby essentials for the two young kids she takes care of.
“I went to four or five Walmarts and found no diapers, no wipes and formula was scarce,” Phillips said. “So I asked myself who can I call?”
That’s where the BEAR Program steps in. BEAR, which stands for Be A Resource, helps thousands of kids through donations. They’re known for events like their BEARing Gifts Christmas gift donation, where they provide more than 11,000 kids with gifts and wishes.
Now, leftover gifts are used to help distract bored kids under home lockdown, but mostly it’s three essentials that BEAR has found to be in high demand.
“Diapers, baby wipes and formula,” said BEAR Executive Director Tammy Hetmaniak.
They’re distributed out of the BEAR room, which lies in the BEAR warehouse off TC Jester. CPS case workers and volunteers pack bags full of items like diapers and baby formula, along with household items like paper towels. They typically top the bags off with toys and games for the kids, then deliver those bags to families in need.
“I called Tammy at the BEAR room and she was like, ‘What do you need?'” Phillips said. “I told her, and she brought it to my door, I was shocked.”
Both physical and monetary donations can be made to the BEAR program at bearesourcehouston.org.