Our Flagship Program
Family Care Bags
Comfort, essentials, and encouragement — hand-assembled and delivered to families of children in long-term hospital stays, because the small things matter most when everything feels overwhelming.
Why Care Bags
The Things No One Thinks to Pack
When a child is admitted to the hospital for an extended stay, families rarely have time to prepare. Parents rush to the bedside with little more than what’s in their pockets. Siblings are shuffled between relatives. Everyday essentials — toiletries, snacks, a phone charger, a change of socks — suddenly become luxuries.
Meanwhile, the emotional toll compounds. Parents skip meals to save money. Children feel isolated and scared. Siblings feel invisible. The hospital stay becomes a crisis that reaches far beyond the diagnosis.
Family Care Bags address these gaps — not with grand gestures, but with practical, thoughtful items that say: someone sees you, and you’re not alone.
What’s Inside
Three Bags, One Family
Every family’s situation is different, so we tailor support to the whole household — not just the patient. Each bag is assembled by volunteers and customized to the family’s needs.
For parents & caregivers
Family Comfort Bag
Built for parents who are spending days or weeks at the bedside, this bag covers the basics they didn’t have time to grab — and a few comforts that make a hard season a little more bearable.
🧣 Soft blanket & cozy socks · 🧴 Travel toiletries kit · 🥜 Snack assortment & reusable water bottle · ☕ Gift card to a nearby restaurant · 📓 Journal & pen · 🔌 Phone charging cable · 💌 Encouragement card & local resource guide
~$40
Average cost per bag
For the hospitalized child
Child Comfort Bag
Tailored by age group to bring distraction, comfort, and a little joy to a child’s hospital room. Because even in the middle of treatment, kids still need to feel like kids.
🧸 Soft blanket & plush toy · 🎨 Age-appropriate activities (coloring books, puzzles, card games, drawing supplies) · 🧦 Cozy socks · 🫧 Personal care items · 🎮 Fidget toys & stickers
Customized for three age groups: infant/toddler (0–3), children (4–10), and teens (11–17)
~$20
Average cost per bag
For brothers & sisters
Sibling Support Bag
Siblings are often the most overlooked members of a family in crisis. They carry worry they can’t always express, and they need to know they matter too. This bag is their reminder.
🎨 Coloring book & crayons · 🧩 Puzzle or activity book · 🃏 Playing cards or small game · 🧸 Stuffed animal · 🥤 Snacks & juice box · 🏅 “Super Sibling” badge · 💌 Personal encouragement card
~$15
Average cost per bag
A Typical Family Package
Most families receive a set of bags tailored to their household — one for the parents, one for the patient, and one for each sibling.
1
Family Comfort Bag
+
1
Child Comfort Bag
+
1
Sibling Support Bag
≈ $75 to support one family
How It Works
From Referral to Delivery
Families don’t apply for Care Bags — they’re identified by the people who know their situation best.
1
Referral
A hospital social worker, child life specialist, chaplain, or nurse identifies a family with a child in a stay of 5+ days and contacts Heart of Grace.
2
Customize
We select the right bag types based on the family — number of children, ages, and any known needs or preferences.
3
Assemble
Volunteers hand-pack each bag using quality-checked items, following our assembly standards. Every item is new and unused.
4
Deliver
Bags are delivered to the hospital partner’s designated contact for distribution to the family — with care and privacy protected throughout.
Who Qualifies
Child age 0–17 admitted to a partner hospital
Expected or actual stay of 5 or more consecutive days
Referred by hospital social worker, child life specialist, or nursing staff
All services are provided at no cost to the family, without discrimination of any kind. Families do not apply directly — referrals come through hospital staff to protect privacy and ensure equitable distribution.
🤍 Spring 2026
Comfort in a Bag Campaign
This spring, we’re raising funds to assemble and deliver 40+ Family Care Bag sets to families across the Omaha area. Every dollar goes directly to filling bags with comfort and care.
Every Bag Tells a Family They’re Not Alone
$25 helps fill a care bag. $75 supports an entire family. Whatever you can give makes a difference.
Want to help in other ways? Host an item drive, volunteer at a packing event, or spread the word. Contact us to get involved.