Johnson County Resources
Johnson County Resources
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children (ages 6–18) with adult volunteers to create one-to-one, professionally supported mentoring relationships. These "Bigs" provide guidance, friendship, and positive role modeling to help "Littles" build confidence, achieve educational success, and avoid risky behaviors.
The Food Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides supplemental food to low-income households in Johnson County. It acts as a local pantry offering items like fresh produce, canned goods, and frozen meats to combat food insecurity.
Attorneys at Shook Hardy & Bacon created the Lawyers for Kids fund to provide small grants (up to $250 per child/$1000 per family per year) to cover expenses associated with youth development activities. These funds are available for Missouri youth in foster, kinship, and adoptive homes in Jackson, Clay, Ray, Lafayette, Johnson, and Cass counties.
Qualifiying activities include sports, gymnastics, horseback riding, and other extracurricular activities.
New Beginnings is a free women's center that serves all of Johnson County, MO.
Foster children and their caregivers, including foster parents, kinship caregivers, and relative caregivers, are eligible for Parents as Teachers (PAT) services, as the program serves families in vulnerable situations, providing support from prenatal through kindergarten. Eligibility often focuses on children under kindergarten entry, and the program aims to strengthen families by building protective factors through home visits.
The RE: Conference is an annual event, in Lenexa, KS, designed to provide, encouragement, training credits, and resources for foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers, often focusing on supporting families through the challenges of the child welfare system. It typically features keynote speakers, breakout sessions, pampering, and community-building.
"The Shop" a Free Store, is a volunteer-run, donation-based community resource providing free clothing, household goods, and furniture to those in need. Located in the local area, it focuses on supporting unsheltered individuals and community members by offering items like mattresses, bedding, and toiletries.
Standing In The Gap Ministries in Warrensburg, MO, is a faith-based 501(c)(3) organization that provides recovery, housing, and support for individuals struggling with addiction, homelessness, or sex trafficking. They offer long-term, live-in Christian discipleship programs for men and women, a monthly food pantry, and operate the "ReStoring with Kindness" thrift store.
Foster parents can access WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) resources for children under age 5, as foster children are automatically eligible regardless of income
Surrounding Areas Resources
The FosterAdopt Connect clothing closet—known as Sammy's Window—is a free resource program that provides clothing, shoes, hygiene products, baby gear, and food items to support foster, adoptive, and kinship families, helping ease the financial burden of caring for children in transition. Missouri locations: Independence, Branson, Cape Girardeau, Chillicothe, Hannibal, Joplin, Kirksville, Mountain Grove, Poplar Bluff, Springfield. Kansas locations: Pittsburg and Wichita.
The Franklin County Foster Closet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in UNION, Missouri, that provides free clothing, equipment, and essential supplies to foster, adoptive, and kinship families.
The Warrior Closet is a free resource program operated by the SMITHVILLE School District in Missouri. It provides district families and students in need with essential items like clothing, shoes, hygiene products, backpacks, and school supplies at no cost.
Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association's clothing closet - known as The Trunk Clothing Closet - is a free clothing closet and resource program run. It provides free gently used clothing, shoes, diapers, hygiene products, and seasonal essentials for foster, adoptive, and kinship youth and families across Mid-Missouri. Locations: Jefferson City, Columbia, Osage Beach, and Rolla.
The Fostering Hope Closet in LEBANON, Missouri, is a support program run by the nonprofit Live 2 Give Hope. It provides free clothing, shoes, diapers, formula, car seats, beds, and hygiene items to foster, kinship, adoptive, and guardianship families when children arrive with little to no personal belongings.
*This list is still in progress. If you offer services to families and would like to be added to our list, please send us a message and we will review your request.