Community Partners of El Paso is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a team of dedicated volunteers meeting the daily needs of abused and neglected children and their families throughout El Paso, Texas. We work hand in hand with Child Protective Services (CPS) to make sure children in crisis get help right away.
The Rainbow Room
Our main project, The Rainbow Room, is an emergency resource room where CPS caseworkers can obtain the essentials a child needs, including clothing, diapers, personal hygiene items, school supplies, car seats, portable cribs, and other necessities that improve a child’s life. It works like a store, except everything is free. A caseworker can walk in day or night and leave with exactly what a child needs.
The Rainbow Room is stocked entirely through donations and new in-kind and cash gifts from the community of El Paso, Texas.
Why It Matters
Abuse and neglect remain a serious problem in our society. In 2015, 171 children in Texas died as a result of abuse and neglect, four of them right here in El Paso. That same year, more than 66,700 cases were confirmed across Texas, with a significant share in our own community.
CPS caseworkers do incredible work under difficult circumstances, but the strict regulations they must follow can slow down how quickly a child’s basic needs are met. That is where The Rainbow Room comes in. Our mission is to help caseworkers get essential items into the hands of children immediately, day or night.
The Blue Bag Project
When a child is removed from a home, we send them off with a Blue Bag. Before this project, children were forced to carry their belongings in trash bags wherever they went. Every Blue Bag holds a “Comfort Critter,” a handmade Project Linus blanket sewn by our volunteers, along with clothing, diapers, and other essentials, so a child arrives at a new place with dignity and something that is truly their own.
Open to Every Child CPS Serves
We also help children with an open CPS case who need specific items like diapers, portable cribs, or a car seat. Any child being served by CPS in El Paso County is welcome at The Rainbow Room. That is the only requirement. In 2015 alone, we served more than 700 children.
How You Can Help
Please help us keep The Rainbow Room stocked for children who have suffered through no fault of their own. Every donation puts help directly into the hands of a child who needs it.