As summer brings longer days and brighter skies, many families are also preparing for the return to school—a season full of excitement, but also real challenges, especially for those navigating economic hardship. For families balancing tight budgets, the added cost of school supplies can become one more strain.
At Safe & Sound, we believe every child deserves to start the school year with the tools they need to thrive. There’s still time to make a difference—join us in our Back-to-School Drive to help 250 children start the year strong and ready to learn.
Families who partner with Safe & Sound are working hard to build stability and create brighter futures. Nearly all are low-income, and many are managing additional challenges, such as housing insecurity or healing from past trauma. A backpack filled with new school supplies may seem small—but for a child, it can be a powerful source of pride, motivation, and joy.
Safe & Sound supports 900–1,000 families annually with wraparound services that address the root causes of child abuse and neglect. Providing concrete supports—like school supplies—not only relieves financial stress for parents but increases resilience, and helps families focus on what matters most: their children’s success..
A backpack is more than a school item for kids—it symbolizes belonging, confidence, and possibility. Imagine the joy in a child’s eyes as they walk into school with a brand-new backpack, filled with everything they need to learn, grow, and connect with friends. It’s a fresh start, free from worrying about showing up unprepared or left behind.
Our Back-to-School Drive ensures that each child receives a backpack filled with essential supplies—from notebooks to pencils, and everything in between. Your support helps create a strong start to the academic year, especially for families navigating financial hardships.
This year, Safe & Sound aims to support 250 children with fully stocked backpacks, and we can’t do it without you.
You can help in three easy ways:
Every gift—no matter the size—makes a direct and meaningful impact.
Together, we can ensure that more children enter the school year feeling ready, excited, and supported—and that their parents feel just a little more hopeful about the future. Thank you for being a part of our mission to prevent child abuse, neglect, and trauma, and to create a future where all children are safe, supported, and loved.
Let’s fill 250 backpacks—and 250 hearts—with joy and possibility.
Safe & Sound’s TALK Line provides 24/7 support for parents and caregivers in a moment of need. No matter the time or circumstance, caregivers in need can call and connect with a trained volunteer who offers immediate support.
Sometimes, a couple of calls can make all the difference. That was the case for *Darlene, who was experiencing power struggles with her two-year-old daughter being oppositional—like refusing to put on her pajamas and having a bit of a meltdown. Having first heard of TALK Line as a recommended resource during her social work training, Darlene reached out, seeking ways to address her daughter’s behavior with patience and understanding. The volunteer’s judgment-free approach made Darlene feel comfortable to share, and his ‘unconditional positive regard’ reinforced her strengths as a parent.
It was ten years before Darlene called the TALK Line again—this time, her need was more acute. Darlene’s daughter was now twelve years old and experiencing significant issues, including self-harm. Being part of Safe & Sound means our call operators can refer callers to our other programs and services, which may benefit them. Darlene chose to attend weekly in-person therapy sessions with Safe & Sound to explore her complex emotions as a mother and process her grief.
She recalls a poignant moment early on when she was grief-stricken and in shock, and her Safe & Sound therapist provided unwavering support. After a period of in-person therapy sessions, Safe & Sound gave Darlene the option of setting up an ongoing relationship with Sheila, a TALK Line volunteer. For the last five years, they have spoken every week about practically everything. Through her experiences with the TALK Line, Darlene has developed new ways to navigate challenges and support her daughter with compassion and resilience.
This relationship has been a constant during some tumultuous years, during which Darlene’s daughter was a resident at different adolescent treatment centers, some out of state. Though not a therapist, Sheila offers a kind of support that feels therapeutic. As a mother herself, Sheila brings wisdom and insight, creating a space where Darlene feels understood. Their weekly conversations have become a source of reflection and encouragement, reinforcing Darlene’s confidence and resilience as a parent.
Darlene’s daughter is now 18 and continues to face challenges—but she’s not facing them alone. With her mother’s unwavering support, she is moving forward. Through ongoing commitment to the TALK Line and therapy, Darlene has strengthened her skills and resilience as a parent, tackling everyday struggles and complex situations with determination. And she still calls Sheila every week, who will be there for her as long as she needs it.
*Name has been changed for confidentiality purposes.
Last year, our TALK Line volunteers provided 4,000 supportive conversations, serving as a lifeline for caregivers whenever they needed help—day or night, regardless of the situation. This 24/7 service is critical in preventing child abuse, neglect, and trauma—ensuring no caregiver feels alone.
With your generosity, Safe & Sound can reach even more families, providing the guidance and reassurance that help keep children safe and families strong. Every gift makes a difference. Your support enables us to continue to support children and families in the Bay Area.
We strongly condemn the recent actions of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to classify gender-affirming care for transgender children as “child abuse.”
Simply stated, gender-affirming care for transgender children is not child abuse. It is, in fact, a demonstration of love and acceptance. By contrast, the Texas action is abusive and ignores the facts that transgender children and adults are at greater risk of depression, thoughts of suicide and attempted suicide.
“As a mother to a transgender daughter adopted from foster care, I have seen the sheer joy and relief in my child when she was able to show up in the world as her true self. Labeling that experience as caregiver “abuse” will keep so many children imprisoned in their own bodies and minds—or in the loneliness and trauma of the child welfare system—perpetuating the anxiety and depression they too often already face due to stigma and feelings of fear and isolation. No one has the right to criminalize the love and care ALL children need and deserve.” Beth K., foster-adopt mother.
Equating gender affirming care with child abuse is a direct assault on the purpose of child protection laws and diverts child protection resources from legitimate reports of suspected child abuse, thereby endangering children. Texas’ action will require doctors, nurses, teachers, and other adults who have contact with transgender children to report purported “abuse” to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or face possible criminal penalties.
We join San Francisco’s leadership in strongly denouncing the Texas action, including: Senator Scott Wiener – “California will always have the backs of LGBTQ youth & their families.” Mayor London Breed – “In San Francisco, we will continue to support all of our LGBTQ youth, the parents who love them, and our entire trans community.” Trent Rhorer, Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, along with his colleagues throughout California at the County Welfare Directors Association of California, and their Executive Director, Cathy Senderling, also noted the pernicious effect of this action “in calling on child welfare agencies for political purposes when abuse or neglect are not present runs the risk of pulling our already limited staff resources away from vulnerable children and youth who are victims of, or at risk of, abuse and neglect.”
As an organization dedicated to strengthening families and ending child abuse, we stand with others from across the county to urge Texas leadership to reject attempts to use laws that are meant to protect children, to instead cause them great harm.
Katie Albright is an attorney and President & Chief Executive Officer of Safe & Sound, a San Francisco-based children’s advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening families and ending child abuse through evidenced-informed services, education, partnerships, and policy. Safe & Sound is part of a national network of family resource centers that partner with families each day to promote positive outcomes for children, caregivers, and communities.