Skip to main content
Hearts 4KidsRio Grande Valley, TX
Donate

About us

Mission, leadership, and transparency

Hearts 4Kids Inc is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving children and families across the Rio Grande Valley, Texas.

Verifiable facts about Hearts 4Kids Inc

501(c)(3)Footnote 1: source for this figure
Registered public charity
EIN 47-4834211, IRS ruling year 2015. Gifts from U.S. donors are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Verify in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search(opens in a new tab)
Last verified August 22, 2026
6,000Footnote 2: source for this figure
People served weekly in 2020
At the height of the COVID-19 shutdown our staff coordinated more than 750 volunteers to serve 6,000 people a week across the Rio Grande Valley. A 2020 figure, not a current weekly total.
Read the CBF report on the relief effort(opens in a new tab)
Last verified August 22, 2026
70+Footnote 3: source for this figure
Churches in the distribution network
Food reaches colonia families through a network of more than 70 partner churches, so households without a vehicle can still pick up close to home.
Read how the distribution network works(opens in a new tab)
Last verified August 22, 2026
5Footnote 4: source for this figure
Churches with community centers started
Congregations that opened their doors mid-week as community centers, becoming the bridge between colonia families and the agencies that serve them.
Read the Baptist Standard feature(opens in a new tab)
Last verified August 22, 2026
68%Footnote 5: source for this figure
Of Valley children live in high-poverty areas
The need we exist to answer: a Center for Public Policy Priorities study found 68% of children in the Rio Grande Valley live in high-poverty neighborhoods.
See the reporting on Valley child poverty(opens in a new tab)
Last verified August 22, 2026
CandidFootnote 6: source for this figure
Public nonprofit profile
Our organizational record — legal name, EIN, address and status — is listed on Candid (GuideStar) for independent verification.
Open our Candid profile(opens in a new tab)
Last verified August 22, 2026

Citations and sources

Hearts 4Kids Inc publishes only figures it can document. Each counter above is numbered and cited below, with the date our team last checked the source.

  1. [1] Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt Organization Search — Verify in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (opens in a new tab). Last verified August 22, 2026. Back to counter 1
  2. [2] CBFblog, Marv Knox, 10 September 2020 — Read the CBF report on the relief effort (opens in a new tab). Last verified August 22, 2026. Back to counter 2
  3. [3] CBFblog, Marv Knox, 10 September 2020 — Read how the distribution network works (opens in a new tab). Last verified August 22, 2026. Back to counter 3
  4. [4] Baptist Standard / CommonCall, 5 September 2018 — Read the Baptist Standard feature (opens in a new tab). Last verified August 22, 2026. Back to counter 4
  5. [5] Center for Public Policy Priorities, via Baptist Standard / CommonCall — See the reporting on Valley child poverty (opens in a new tab). Last verified August 22, 2026. Back to counter 5
  6. [6] Candid (GuideStar) nonprofit profile, EIN 47-4834211 — Open our Candid profile (opens in a new tab). Last verified August 22, 2026. Back to counter 6

Documented milestones

Point-in-time figures from independent published reporting on Hearts 4Kids Inc. Each one is tied to the year it happened and links to the article that reported it — they are project totals for that moment, not lifetime or annual numbers.

Our story

Hearts 4Kids began in 2014 with a simple conviction: children living in poverty should not have to face it alone — and the Rio Grande Valley, one of the poorest regions in the United States, was right outside the front door. Founder Jorge Zapata, a pastor in La Feria, started connecting churches, volunteers and visiting mission teams with the colonia families around them.

Colonias are unincorporated settlements along the Texas–Mexico border, often without paved streets, reliable water or a grocery store within walking distance. A study by the Center for Public Policy Priorities found 68% of Valley children live in high-poverty neighborhoods. Poverty there shows up in many ways at once — an empty pantry, a leaking roof, an untreated illness, a child without school supplies — so we work across all of them rather than picking one symptom.

Five partner congregations now open their buildings mid-week as community centers, and during the 2020 pandemic that network served roughly 6,000 people a week with more than 750 volunteers. The organization is registered in the United States as Hearts 4Kids Inc, a 501(c)(3) public charity with EIN 47-4834211, mailing address 25975 Meredith St., La Feria, Texas 78559.

Children outside a Hearts 4Kids partner church community center in the Rio Grande Valley
Legal name
Hearts 4Kids Inc
Tax status
501(c)(3) public charity
EIN
47-4834211
Where we serve
Rio Grande Valley, Texas (Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy and Starr counties)
U.S. office
25975 Meredith St., La Feria, TX 78559

Mission

Together with volunteers, teams and groups, to provide the basic needs and safety throughout the Rio Grande Valley — one family and one child at a time — through short-term mission opportunities.

Vision

A lasting legacy of transformed lives along the Texas–Mexico border, where colonia families have food, safe homes, health and skills, and neighborhood churches equipped to carry the work forward.

Accountability

We operate as a 501(c)(3) public charity, file required disclosures, and use every donation with faithful stewardship toward the children we serve.

What guides us

Children first

Every decision starts with the question: is this good for the child in front of us?

Rooted locally

We work through Rio Grande Valley churches and community centers led by pastors who live in the colonias they serve.

Whole-family care

Children thrive when families are supported, so our programs reach parents and youth too.

Faithful stewardship

As a 501(c)(3) public charity we take seriously our responsibility to use every gift carefully.

Leadership

Hearts 4Kids is governed by an independent board of directors that oversees finances, strategy and program accountability. Day-to-day operations are led by our executive director alongside partner pastors across the Valley.

501(c)(3) public charity
J

Jorge Zapata

Founder & Executive Director

Founded Hearts 4Kids in 2014 and leads its work across the Rio Grande Valley, coordinating partner churches, mission teams and relief efforts. Founding pastor of New Wine Church in La Feria.

R

Ricardo Brambila

Board Chair

Provides governance oversight and strategic direction, and ensures the organization remains accountable to its mission, its donors and its partner congregations.

T

Treasurer

Reviews financial controls, donation tracking and budget planning to safeguard every dollar given to the work.

S

Secretary / Programs

Documents board decisions and supports program oversight, connecting the board to pastors and site leaders across the Valley.

Governance & transparency

We are committed to open, accountable leadership. Our board reviews program and financial reports, ensures compliance with U.S. nonprofit requirements, and holds the organization to its mission. Annual filings, board meeting records, and financial summaries are maintained by the organization and available upon request.

If you would like a copy of our governing documents, latest program report, or information about how donations are used, please contact us at info@heart4kids-missions.org.

Join the work

Whether you give, bring a team, volunteer, or pray, you are part of helping a child grow up with hope and practical support.

Donate nowGet involved

Feed and support a Valley family today.

Donate