Build A Bag Foundation

10/01/2026

🏆 KANSAS CITY — WE'RE LOOKING FOR 50 PEOPLE WHO WANT TO HELP BUILD SOMETHING BIGGER.

Maybe you've supported Build A Bag from the beginning.
Maybe you've donated equipment, adopted an athlete, volunteered, shared a post, or watched our mission grow.
Or maybe this is the first time you've ever heard of us.
Either way—there's a seat for you in the Locker Room.
We're officially building the 2026 Locker Room Founders Class: a community of people who believe that a child's circumstances shouldn't determine their opportunity to participate, grow, dream and feel supported.
And we're starting with a simple goal:
🏆 50 Founders
❤️ $25+ per month
🎒 One growing Kansas City mission

Why monthly giving?
Because consistency changes what we're able to do.
It means being able to say YES when a child needs cleats to play.
YES when a family needs hygiene essentials.
YES when a young athlete needs a bag full of equipment.
YES when an opportunity comes along to reach even more kids in our community.
You're not just funding a bag. You're helping build what's beyond the bag.
And that's what being a Founder means.
You're helping build the foundation for the organization we believe Build A Bag can become.
Our first goal is 50 Founders by Giving Tuesday, December 1. But our original 2026 Founding Class will remain open through December 31, 2026.
Years from now, as this mission continues to grow across Kansas City, we want our Founders to be able to look back and say:
“I was there. I believed in it. I helped build it.”
You don't have to know us personally.
You don't have to have donated before.
You simply have to believe in the mission and want to be part of what comes next.
👇 Will you take a seat in the Locker Room?
❤️ Become a Founder for $25+ per month:
https://buildabagkc.org/founders

And even if becoming a monthly Founder isn't right for you today, sharing this post helps put this invitation in front of someone who may be ready to take that seat.
50 people. $25+ a month. Let's see what Kansas City can build together.

09/16/2026

🍽️ DINE & DONATE FOR BUILD A BAG! 🏈🎒

Join us at American Way Smokehouse on Tuesday, September 22, from 4–8 PM for delicious barbecue and an easy way to support local kids!

American Way Smokehouse will donate 10% of the evening’s proceeds to Build A Bag Foundation. Every meal helps us provide sports equipment, hygiene essentials, and learning materials to children throughout the Kansas City metro.

📅 Tuesday, September 22
⏰ 4–8 PM
📍 American Way Smokehouse
17710 E. 39th St. S., Independence, MO 64055

Come hungry, bring your family and friends, and help us continue strengthening our community—one child at a time! ❤️

Please share and help us spread the word!

09/04/2026

🎄🏆 ADOPT AN ATHLETE HOLIDAY PROGRAM IS OPEN! 🏆🎄

The holiday season will be here before we know it, and Build A Bag Foundation’s Adopt An Athlete Holiday Program is officially open!

Adopt An Athlete was created to help make the holidays a little brighter for local youth and families. Through this program, children are connected with members of our community who help provide Christmas gifts based on their individual needs, interests, and wish lists. ❤️🎁

Over the years, we’ve been able to help hundreds of kids through Adopt An Athlete, and this year we’re looking to make our biggest impact yet!

🌟 We’re expanding our reach with the goal of supporting more children and families than ever before.

And it takes a COMMUNITY to make that happen.

Whether you’re looking to:

🎁 Adopt an Athlete and help make a child’s Christmas special
❤️ Volunteer and help us bring the program to life
🎄 Apply for assistance for your child or family

You can find program information, applications, and ways to get involved on our website:

👉 https://buildabagkc.org/programs

Every child deserves to feel seen, supported, and celebrated. We are incredibly excited to see how many families our community can come together to support this holiday season!

Together, we can make this our biggest Adopt An Athlete year yet. 🏆❤️

08/28/2026

We love being a part of someone’s story. ❤️

Today, we had the opportunity to meet another local family and help get their child equipped with the gear they need to participate in sports. Moments like this are exactly why Build A Bag Foundation exists.

We love seeing our community flourish and kids get opportunities to be equipped to succeed. Sports provide so much more than a game—they create opportunities to build confidence, learn teamwork, develop perseverance, make friendships, and find even more reasons to dream big. 🏆

Every piece of equipment donated has the potential to become part of a child’s story. Whether it’s their first season, a new sport, or simply the chance to participate when equipment costs might otherwise stand in the way, we’re proud to help.

🏀 Need sports equipment for a child?
⚽ Have new or gently used equipment to donate?
⚾ Want to learn more about our mission or get involved?

Visit buildabagkc.org to request equipment, donate equipment, or learn more about Build A Bag Foundation.

Because every kid deserves the opportunity to get in the game. 💙

YouthSports SportsForAll GiveBackKC CommunitySupportingCommunity DreamBig KidsInSports KansasCityNonprofit SupportLocalYouth MoreThanAGame

08/24/2026

🏀⚽ More equipment is headed out the door today! ⚽🏀

Today, Build A Bag Foundation is preparing equipment for several local children, and one of the best feelings is looking at their requests and realizing: we have exactly what they need. ❤️

Thanks to donations from our community, these kids are receiving items including:

⚽ Soccer cleats
⚽ Shin guards
⚽ Soccer socks
⚽ Soccer balls
🥅 Goalie gloves
👕 Athletic clothing
💧 Water bottles
🧴 Personal care & hygiene items
…and a few other essentials to help them get ready to play!

Every cleat, ball, pair of shin guards, and piece of equipment donated to Build A Bag has the opportunity to become part of a child’s story. We thoroughly enjoy seeing the faces of the youth we serve and knowing our community helped make their season a little easier.

We love being able to be a small part of their stories — and we couldn’t do it without you. 💙

If your child wants to participate in a sport but your family needs assistance with equipment, please reach out. Our goal is to help remove the cost of equipment as a barrier to getting kids active and involved.

➡️ Visit buildabagkc.org and complete the Equipment Request Form.

Have equipment your family has outgrown? Consider donating it so another child can give it a second life!

SportsForAll EquipmentForKids KansasCity CommunitySupportingCommunity EveryKidDeservesToPlay

08/13/2026

Build A Bag Foundation was founded through the influence and impact that youth sports and physical activity can have on a child’s life. But as we continue to grow, so does our understanding of what it means to truly serve our youth.

Sometimes that means a new pair of cleats or a basketball.
Sometimes it means hygiene essentials.
And sometimes, it means making sure a child has new clothes and shoes to walk into their first day of school feeling comfortable, confident, and ready. ❤️

This morning, we were grateful to help two local kids get brand-new back-to-school clothes and shoes! These two gift bags may look simple, but we hope what’s inside helps these kids start the school year feeling excited about the possibilities ahead.

At Build A Bag, we believe in meeting kids where they are and helping where we can. Because when a child feels supported by their community, they have one more reason to believe in themselves.

We’re incredibly proud to be a 100% volunteer-run organization supporting children and families throughout the Kansas City metro. Every donation, volunteer, partner, and person who shares our mission helps us continue finding new ways to show up for local youth.

Here’s to walking into a new school year with confidence. 📚👟
Here’s to helping kids dream bigger.
And here’s to inspiring the next generation of leaders. 💙

08/11/2026

🏓 Did somebody say PICKLEBALL?! 🏓

Pickleball has quickly become one of the hottest trends in recreational sports — and it’s not hard to see why! What started as a fun backyard game has grown into a competitive sport enjoyed by kids, teens, adults, and families of all ages.

And now… Build A Bag Foundation has pickleball equipment to share with our community! 🙌

Whether someone is looking to try a new sport, get outside and be active, or discover their next competitive passion, we love being able to provide the equipment that helps make it possible.

A HUGE thank you to the local organization that generously donated these pickleball sets to Build A Bag! 💙 Donations like these allow us to continue putting sports equipment directly into the hands of people in our KC community.

🏓 Need equipment?
Apply through our Equipment Request Form at buildabagkc.org.

Because sometimes all it takes is the right piece of equipment to discover something you love. 💙

08/09/2026

🏈 KC COMMUNITY, WE HAVE FOOTBALL GEAR! 🏈

We are feeling incredibly grateful this weekend! ❤️ Thanks to a very generous donor, Build A Bag KC received a HUGE donation of brand-new football gear — and now we need your help getting it into the hands (and onto the feet!) of local athletes who need it.

This donation included:

👟 38 pairs of football cleats — primarily men’s sizes 11–13
👟 And yes… one pair of SIZE 17 cleats!
🧤 11 pairs of receiver gloves — sizes XL–3XL
💪 7 adult-sized arm sleeves
🧢 Branded caps & headbands
🏈 Additional football accessories

If you have a child or teen who can use these sizes and purchasing football equipment is a burden for your family, please reach out. This is exactly why these items were donated to us.

Equipment through Build A Bag KC is provided completely FREE.

👉 Submit an equipment request here:
https://buildabagkc.org/request-equipment

And KC — please SHARE this post! You never know who on your friends list has a young athlete who needs exactly what is sitting in our storage right now.

One of the things we love most about the is the way people show up for one another. Someone had equipment to give, Build A Bag had a place for it to go, and now together we can put it in the hands of kids who are ready to PLAY. ❤️🏈

To our donor: THANK YOU. Your generosity is going to make a difference for a whole lot of athletes this season.

YouthSports FootballSeason FootballFamily SportsForAll GiveBackKC CommunitySupportingCommunity EveryKidDeservesToPlay

08/08/2026

07/19/2026

I’m still trying to put yesterday into words.

Being recognized in the Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat at the Kansas City Royals game on behalf of Build A Bag Foundation was an honor I never imagined receiving. Sitting in that seat, I couldn’t help but reflect on how something that started with a simple desire to help children has grown into a mission that has impacted hundreds of young athletes across the Kansas City metro.

As they shared our story, I wasn’t thinking about the recognition—I was thinking about the kids. The smiles when they receive equipment they never thought they’d have. The parents who finally get to say “yes” when their child wants to play a sport. The volunteers, donors, and community members who have made every single one of those moments possible.

This recognition belongs to all of you. Build A Bag Foundation is powered by people who believe every child deserves the opportunity to play, grow, and be part of a team, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

I truly believe we’re only getting started.

God continues to open doors that we never could have imagined, and there are some incredible opportunities to serve our community on the horizon. I can’t wait to share more with you and continue giving back to the Kansas City community that has embraced and supported this mission from the very beginning.

Thank you to the Kansas City Royals for this incredible honor, and thank you to every person who has donated equipment, volunteered, shared our story, or encouraged us along the way. You are changing lives right alongside us.

Here’s to creating even more opportunities for kids to experience the joy, confidence, friendships, and life lessons that come through sports. ❤️⚾

GivingBack YouthSports SportsForAll OpportunityThroughSports KansasCity Nonprofit VolunteerDriven ChangingLives TogetherWeCan KCProud