Dec. 3, 2025
The Health Federation of Philadelphia’s Early Head Start program provides early childhood education support and other services for children and families who meet federal income guidelines. They include pregnant women and families with children from birth to 3 years old.
Want to help over the holidays, or any time of year? Here are ways you can contribute:
- A Personal Care Pantry is stocked by donations with items for enrolled participants who may need additional support. These items include cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and more. Visit the Amazon wish list.
- The 2025 Early Head Start Coat Drive provides needed outerwear to help keep families warm this winter season. Visit the Amazon wish list.
The Personal Care Pantry was developed in 2020 to meet needs of the families served by Early Head Start, said Charlene Heeney, Community Involvement Specialist for the program. Coat drives have been ongoing for years, Heeney said.
“The personal care pantry was founded to support EHS families experiencing financial hardship, put in place to help alleviate the financial stress and focus on the importance of self care even during hard times,” Heeney said. “Every family we serve is different with different needs.”
Sometimes a family needs, for example, laundry soap, feminine care products, or something similar, while at other times a parent might be transitioning to housing from a shelter and is in need of a “getting started” package.
“The pantry has made that possible,” Heeney said. “We have supported hundreds of families over the last five years — and it’s all due to the generosity of others.”
The pantry is run on donations, and Early Head Start does not receive separate funding to stock it, Heeney said: “We accept ongoing donations throughout the year!”
Those with questions about donating should email Heeney at cheeney@healthfederation.org.
Learn More About Charitable Giving
Interested in giving to a charitable organization in general over the holidays?
The Better Business Bureau offers plenty of practical information and advice if you want to learn more about a charity or nonprofit’s past record and what your donations will be used for.
- The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance homepage, give.org, provides a wealth of helpful information, such as basic giving tips, a search function for charitable organizations, and guides covering specific types of appeals.
- This article from the BBB provides a checklist of tips and information that all donors should consider when thinking about charitable giving, including basic research practices to prevent making a wrong step when searching for a worthwhile charity or nonprofit to support.
- The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides a charity search on the charities.pa.gov website and offers an information page for consumers regarding charitable donations.
About the Health Federation of Philadelphia
The Health Federation of Philadelphia is a public health nonprofit that promotes community health by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, comprehensive health and human services.
The Health Federation of Philadelphia serves as a keystone supporting a network of Community Health Centers as well as the broader base of public and private-sector organizations that deliver healthcare, public health and human services to vulnerable populations.