Operation Breakthrough cares each weekday for more than 600 children, ages 6 weeks to 18 years. All but 2% of the enrolled families live below federal poverty guidelines, most far below them.

About 25% of the children are homeless at any given time, living in homeless or battered women’s shelters or transitional living programs, sleeping on the sofas of friends or relatives, sometimes even living in cars, rundown hotels or abandoned buildings. About 25% come from foster homes. The rest live primarily with single mothers who struggle to support them on annual earnings that are often not more than $14,000.