Hearts to Homes provides youth aging out of foster care with furnishings and other necessities for their new homes; organization has contributed nearly $2 million in supplies to program participants.

Hearts to Homes, an innovative charity supporting young people aging out of foster care across New York City, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, announced that it has achieved the joint milestone of more than 1,000 young people helped and its first decade of service. Hearts to Homes provides young adults (typically 18-21) moving out of foster care into their first independent homes with new furnishings, apparel, gift cards, and other key home goods. These vital offerings help to make their transition into independent living easier and more stable, with a stronger foundation for success. Since its origins in 2016, Hearts to Homes has contributed nearly $2 million in furnishings to its more than 1,000 alums – empowering them to make home a place they can truly call their own.

Hearts to Homes was founded in 2016 by Westchester resident Mary Theresa McCombe, who recognized that young people transitioning from foster care to independent living often lacked basic needs, including bedding, kitchenware, and bathroom supplies. Hearts to Homes first provides young people with wish lists, enabling them to select from options their choices of furnishings and other home goods, which the organization then supplies. Hearts to Homes also supports young people aging out of foster care caring for children of their own, with key furnishings and supplies for young children. “Young people aging out of foster care often have the deck stacked against them, with unforeseen financial expenses as they begin to build their new lives,” said Mary Theresa McCombe, co-founder and outgoing Executive Director of Hearts to Homes. “Home goods like beds, chairs, tables, and cooking supplies aren’t optional; they’re absolutely fundamental to well-being. Hearts to Homes is so proud to have supported more than 1,000 people to date, and we are so excited for the organization’s future and continued growth.

According to one Hearts to Homes alum, “What makes Hearts to Homes special is how personal and thoughtful their support is. They don’t just provide furniture or items—they listen to your situation, understand what you actually need, and help make your space feel like home. Their approach isn’t one-size-fits-all, and you can feel that they genuinely care about your comfort and well-being, not just checking a box.”

Another young person shared, “Hearts to Homes gives young people who are already struggling with embarking into ‘adulthood’ the breathing room to establish what they want their home to look or feel like without all the stress of affordability.”

Hearts to Homes works with partner agencies across New York for referrals to young people in need of the organization’s assistance. Hearts to Homes gratefully acknowledges the many volunteers, partners, and donors that make its work possible. The organization will acknowledge Mary Theresa and John McCombe for their decade of service at its 10th-anniversary Open Hearts dinner in Manhattan on April 30.

For interviews with Hearts to Homes and young people served by the organization, or more information, please contact Carla Pisarro, 212-784-5715, cpisarro@groupgordon.com.

New Yorkers For Children (NYFC) announced eight organizations selected to join the 2026–2027 Community Catalyst Fund cohort, a two-year initiative designed to strengthen grassroots organizations working with children, youth, and families impacted by New York City’s child welfare system. Hearts to Homes is thrilled to be named as one of those eight organizations.

The Community Catalyst Fund is supported by a five-year, $4 million investment from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, advancing NYFC’s work to strengthen New York City’s child welfare ecosystem by investing in mid-stage organizations with strong community ties and bold visions for change.

The 2026-2027 cohort includes:

• The Circle Keepers
• DelgraciaCorp
• Dear Black Girl
• Hearts to Homes Furnishings
• Inspiring Futures
• Justice for Families
• Neighborhood Benches
• The Possibility Project

Our largest expansion yet and the addition of a new program

What an extraordinary year 2025 was! Our furnishing services were provided to 202 former foster youth, up from 183 in the prior year. Included in that number were the parents of thirty-seven infants, toddlers and young children. Hearts to Homes not only brings warmth, comfort, and support to individuals, but we can be counted on to help families as well.

These young people found housing in all five boroughs of New York City, with Brooklyn having the highest numbers of requests. We also furnished apartments in Westchester, Suffolk and Rockland counties and even took our services to Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas when former NYC foster youth moved out-of-state after aging out of care.

This year, we crossed the threshold of providing over $1,900,000 in furnishings since our inception in 2016. We added one new partner – New Yorkers for Children – while continuing to seek out additional organizations whose missions align with ours.

In May 2025, we added our first new program – Building Bright Beginnings – responding to the increasing number of parenting youth who asked if we could provide child-centered items such as cribs, toddler beds, bedding, highchairs, playpens, strollers, car seats, stove knob protectors, electrical outlet covers, sippy cups, toddler plates, and utensils. This new program enhances stability, eliminates unnecessary hardships, and allows parents to focus on raising their children in a safe, nurturing environment.

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, we announced in September 2025 that we are now able to serve all youth who are aging out in our area without regard to any of these previously limiting criteria. Prior to this a young person would have had to have a certain level of education, or a job, be a parent, or have a Fair Futures coach. Now, thanks to the generosity of our donors, we never have to turn a former foster youth in need away.

As we approach the 10^th anniversary of our organization, and are on the cusp of furnishing our 1,000^th apartment, we reflect on all of the foundations, corporations, and individuals who make our work possible. On behalf of the youth we serve, thank you. We wish you all the best that 2026 has to offer.

We need your help! Will you vote for us?

We have been chosen to be one of the nonprofits in Target’s Circle of Giving program, where we will have the chance to receive a grant based on the percentage of votes we get. Want to cast your vote? Here’s what you need to know:

From October 1-December 31, you can cast your vote by being a member of Target’s Circle rewards program – There is no fee to join. If you aren’t a member yet, you can create a new account or sign into your existing account here: https://www.target.com/circle/community-voting/

As a Target Circle member, you earn a vote for each Target purchase you make. Then, you can use your vote to direct Target funds to support Hearts to Homes.

Once on the Circle of Giving page, please make sure that your preferred Target store location is set to the zip code 10707.

Please note that you don’t have to be in NY to cast your vote, but you must set your store location to NY. Then, you can scroll and find Hearts to Homes listed and cast your votes.

Once the voting cycle is over, Target will award a grant to Hearts to Homes based on the percentage of votes we receive.

We ask that you consider casting your votes to support our mission in furnishing homes for young adults transitioning out of foster care who are building new lives of independence.

We are thrilled to welcome Maureen Noonan as our new President and Greg Spero as our new Vice President of the Board of Directors of Hearts to Homes! Greg Spero rejoins the board, having previously served as Treasurer from 2017-2023.

To our former President, Nicole Grogan, and former Vice President, Mary Leitner, we thank you deeply for your commitment and leadership in helping grow and guide Hearts to Homes.

For their continued service, we’re grateful to Catherine Murphy, Treasurer, and Gloria Dios, Secretary. Their leadership continues to fuel the Hearts to Homes mission.

We also would like to introduce two additional new board members who have joined our board after being long-time supporters.

Marissa Mack currently serves as Managing Director on the Not-For-Profit Commercial Banking Team at Webster Bank. In this role, she strategically connects nonprofit organizations with essential banking resources, while providing guidance on sustainable growth, partnerships, and marketing initiatives to support her team’s objectives. Marissa has been committed to supporting the nonprofit sector for several years and has worked with various New York City–based organizations to build strategic partnerships and foster growth.

Lisa Kirschner is the Director of Research and current Chairperson of the Investment Committee at Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC. RBA is an investment manager focusing on longer-term investment strategies that combine top-down, macroeconomic analysis and quantitatively-driven portfolio construction. Lisa’s previous board experience includes several theatre arts organizations, one of which was youth-focused.

We are so grateful to have Marissa and Lisa join our Board and are honored to have their leadership and dedication.

Finally, thank you to three outgoing board members, Dan Suzuki, Christine Trizano, and Ameena Makhdoomi, who are stepping off our board after many years of service.  Each has been instrumental to the growth of Hearts to Homes. We are indebted to them for sharing their time, treasure and talents on behalf of the youth we serve.

Hearts to Homes was delighted and honored to be invited to ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on July 17, 2025.  Welcomed by NYSE representatives, Will Goodwin and Annalise Myre, fifteen people participated in the event, representing our Board of Directors, our staff, volunteers, donors and referring partners.  After Executive Director Mary Theresa McCombe rang the bell, incoming Board President, Maureen Noonan, banged the gavel, bringing trading to a halt for the day.

Joining us were (L to R front row)  Suzanne Santos, Ali Heriyanto, Cathy Murphy, Maureen Noonan, Mary Theresa McCombe, Will Goodwin, Allison Reich, Marissa Mugno, Marissa Mack

(L to R back row) Kevin Kennedy, David Savetz, Maureen Clark, Gloria Dios, Mary Leitner, Christine Ritenis, Anthony Bailey

We thank the NYSE for their hospitality and the opportunity to participate in this memorable event.

“Can you please get some sheets for my three-year-old son instead of getting me a comforter?” This is just one of many sincere and heartstring-tugging requests we’ve received from young parents aging out of foster care—parents who are willing to go without so their children can feel safe and cared for in a new home.

This is one of the many reasons we’re so excited and proud to announce Building Bright Beginnings, a new Hearts to Homes program that provides essential items for the infants and children of the young adults we serve—things like cribs, strollers, toddler beds, highchairs, baby dishes, and safety gear.

Nearly 1 in 3 referrals to Hearts to Homes is for a young adult who is aging out as a parent. Not only do they need to transition themselves from foster care to independence, but they also need to create a safe and comfortable home for their child. Thanks to generous seed funding, we launched this initiative in May to give young families a stronger start. Already five families have received these important baby and toddler items.

If you are interested in helping support the needs of young families, your gift to Hearts to Homes can be made specifically to this program by selecting Building Bright Beginnings when you “make a monetary donation.” Or follow the link to “donate furnishings now” and find a choice of three child-focused bundles that you can provide today. We need your help to keep this new program growing and positively impact the lives of young families!

On March 11, Hearts to Homes was thrilled to welcome Monica Malcolm to our Open Hearts event to share a little bit with our guests about her H2H experience. Here are a few moments from that evening:

Mary Theresa: And now for my final happy responsibility, I would like to invite Monica Malcolm to join me on the stage. Hearts to Homes was first introduced to Monica in August of 2021 when she was aging out of care and referred to us by Rising Ground. If we all remember August of 2021, it was still “COVID time.” Furniture was in short supply with huge supply chain issues. When I look back at texts with Monica it was “this can be delivered on this day” and “that can be delivered on that day,” and she took it all in stride.

There may be nothing cozier than a warm blanket, crocheted with love and kindness in your favorite color, to wrap yourself in when it is too cold to go outside. It can almost feel like a hug, especially when you know that the blanket was made just for you. At least, that is how Cynthia O’Hagan sees it, and why she wanted to make a very special contribution to the home of Maximine B. and her sister, Michelle M.

Maximine and Michelle recently aged out of foster care. They got an apartment together and had that apartment filled with all the necessary home furnishings that Hearts to Homes provides. As Maximine tells it, they weren’t expecting to have their home completely furnished: “When me and my sister moved in, we didn’t really have much, or enough money to buy all these things, so once we were sent them ,we were like wow that was amazing! And continued to save more money for the rent. It was actually very helpful.”

Maximine reached out to H2H Executive Director Mary Theresa McCombe to thank her and got yet another surprise. Mary Theresa asked if the sisters would like some cozy blankets, made specifically for them by a special donor.

Cynthia found out about Hearts to Homes when her boss at Marketsmith, Monica Smith, put out an email about filling an apartment registry for a former foster youth. Though she thought H2H was a wonderful organization, Cynthia didn’t have the means to contribute financially, and she wanted to find another way to help. She was moved when Mary Theresa spoke at Marketsmith, and recalls with emotion, “The one line that stood out to me, is ‘[these kids] never had anything of their own that was brand new.’”

From there she had an idea – she could contribute unique blankets for the youth receiving assistance from Hearts to Homes! Cynthia had been crocheting since grammar school, where she learned from a friend, and had made many baby and full-sized blankets for almost everyone in her life. She even calls crocheting her therapy. Cynthia had always wanted to support foster children, and this was the perfect way for her to do it, utilizing her talents to create something comforting and personal.

To make it even more special, she thought, “Everyone is so quick to give secondhand or hand- me-downs too…What if I let these kids pick out their own color for their own room so they can say ‘someone made this for me’?”

So after connecting with Mary Theresa, who offered the blankets to Maximine and Michelle, the plan was in motion. Michelle picked a lovely coral blue for her color, and Maximine says her choice of baby pink was obvious: “My favorite color is color is pink – my whole room is pink, so of course I’m going to go with pink!”

When the sisters received their blankets, they were surprised at how fast they came and loved how soft and warm they were. The apartment can get chilly in the winter months, and they were grateful for the comfort. The loved the colors, and Maximine, in particular, was inspired by the blankets – in a lovely coincidence, she used to crochet in middle school, making little hats, and she says, “It got me thinking, hmm, maybe I should go back to that as a hobby!”

Maximine continues, “I’m inspired by her giving to people – if you like doing something that makes you feel happy, and then to be able to give it to other people to make them feel happy? That’s a great thing that I also look forward to doing.”

And Cynthia is happy with how this little idea to give back in the way she could turned into something tangible. “I wanted these girls to know that someone cares about them. I’m happy if I can make someone feel loved. That’s what we are supposed to be doing in life.”

Cynthia hopes each youth enjoys the blankets as much as she enjoys making them – because she is not finished with her crocheted donations. She recently worked on a few more blankets, in pink, white, and blue, and they will find a home with other former foster youth who would love something cozy to snuggle into this February.