Why we do what we do:
Children in domestic violence shelters have a distorted image of a father. Our Father wants them to know that they have a father in heaven who loves them, cares for them, and who they can turn to and trust. To this end we provide hope, encouragement, love, hygiene and other personal items, through and around a nondenominational Christian shoebox ministry to children in domestic violence shelters.
Currently:
In our current East Texas, Southeast Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana ministry areas, approximately 1,600 children will be housed in a battered women’s/family crisis shelter in 2023.
Each shoebox we provide shares the Good News of Jesus and a note of encouragement and love (seed card) written from one child’s heart to another’s.
Current Ministry Areas Explore our map of the shelters we’re serving.
History:
The shoebox ministry for children in domestic violence shelters began in late 2004 in the Singles 3 Adult Bible Fellowship Class at First Baptist Church Texarkana.
At that time the Ministries Committee within that class felt led to hold on to about 10 incomplete plain cardboard shoeboxes that were originally being prepared for Operation Christmas Child. They knew God wanted them to do something with those shoeboxes but they weren’t sure what. After prayers and several meetings, it became apparent that the shoeboxes were meant to be taken to the local Battered Women’s Shelter, currently the emergency shelter of Domestic Violence, Inc., for the housed children there.
Over the years the ministry grew and reached more children in shelters in surrounding cities and states. In 2016 the ministry was formally organized as a non-profit organization in the state of Texas. Shortly thereafter, ShelterKidZ Ministries, Inc. applied for, and received, its 501(c)(3) public charity status 170b(1)(A)(vi), as determined by the Internal Revenue Service.
God continues to provide resources as He expands its ministry’s outreach. Now that He has you here, what are you going to do?
