Photo by Raquel Hendrickson

In partnership with local nonprofit Think Families First, Mothers of Everyday Heroes collected enough items from residents of Maricopa and beyond to fill 300 backpacks for Maricopa’s homeless youth. Volunteers packed the backpacks at the home of Jennifer and Doug Ford Dec. 10, and the backpacks were packed into boxes for Think Families First to distribute.

Mothers of Everyday Heroes was founded by Jennifer Ford in memory of her son Nate Ford. Service projects will continue in 2016 as “a year of Nate,” she said. That includes a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, explained by Nate father Doug in the video above and a golf tournament to raise money for other nonprofits. Learn more at MothersOfEverydayHeroes.org.

Think Families First was founded by Rev. Brian and Yolanda Ewing to create programs for teens lacking parental supervision. Learn more at ThinkFamiliesFirst.org.