About us
Every child deserves to feel safe, warm, and loved
Providing new pajamas, books and cuddle pillows to children in crisis across Arizona since 2013.
Who we are
A family tradition, turned into a promise
Angel Heart Pajama Project began with a simple, family truth: a new pair of pajamas and a book of your own can feel like a warm hug at bedtime. What started as one Cuban-born mother’s holiday tradition for her children has grown into Arizona’s leading resource for bringing comfort — and a love of reading — to children in crisis.
For the children we serve, pajamas, books and cuddle pillows are far more than objects. They are security, dignity, and proof that someone cares — that they are valued, seen, and deserving of comfort.
Our mission
At Angel Heart Pajama Project, our mission is to provide comfort, warmth, and hope to children in crisis by supplying them with new pajamas, new books and cuddle pillows, thereby addressing both their personal and emotional needs.
We provide new pajamas, books and cuddle pillows to children who are abandoned, abused, removed from their homes and placed in foster care, or living in homeless shelters — across Arizona, including Pima, Maricopa, Yuma, Santa Cruz, Cochise, Graham, Gila, Navajo and Apache counties.
Our vision
The community resource for comfort and reading
Through networking and collaboration with community-based organizations and businesses, Angel Heart Pajama Project will be the resource in our communities for providing pajamas, books and cuddle pillows to children who are in foster care, homeless, or living in shelters.
We accomplish our goals through pajama and book drives, special community events, individual donors, corporate and foundation grants, our website, and social media — and, above all, through the volunteers who make every gift possible.
Our origins
From one family’s tradition to a lasting legacy
Past
Angel Heart Pajama Project is the vision of Graciela Lopez, mother of the two co-founders, Maria Cuesta Patterson and Marty Croissant. In 1963 these three Cuban-born women immigrated to the United States to escape political, religious, and economic distress. Through the hard early years of a new language and culture, Graciela always found the money or the means to buy new pajamas, books and cuddle pillows to enrich her children’s lives — a holiday tradition the sisters looked forward to, and one she still carries on today with her daughters, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter.
Present
Marty and Maria recognized that this tradition gave them stability and a love of reading. Through their careers they also saw that Arizona has a record number of children in state custody — over 10,000. Many arrive at foster-care agencies in just the clothes they are wearing, having seldom felt the security and love of knowing someone cares. Snuggling into cozy new pajamas with a book of their very own gives these children a nurturing experience, and the feeling that they matter.
Future
Our main program is simple: distribute new pajamas, books and cuddle pillows to enrich the lives of children in need — primarily children in foster care, shelters, and homeless shelters. Parents everywhere know the special bond of bedtime. By giving free pajamas, books and cuddle pillows, we bring that comfort and love like a warm hug at bedtime, encourage the joy of reading, and leave a legacy for generations to come.
Our founders
The three women who started it all
A mother and her two daughters, bound by a childhood tradition and a shared belief that every child deserves comfort at bedtime.
Graciela Lopez
Founder
Known to all as Nana, Graciela founded Angel Heart Pajama Project in 2013 as her way to pay it forward. An immigrant from Cuba, she felt blessed by the kindness of strangers, by Catholic Social Services, and by the opportunities given to her family when they arrived in the United States. Well into her eighties, Nana stayed deeply involved — preparing and collecting pajamas and attending every event where she could be part of the gifting. Though she has since passed away, her mission lives on through her daughters and everyone who carries Angel Heart forward.
“I know my daughters will carry my mission and vision for a long time. My wish is to touch one child at a time with a new book and a new pair of pajamas.”
Maria Patterson
Co-Founder
With 36 years in education — from early-childhood and reading teacher to bilingual education director, elementary and middle-school principal, and supervisor of 45 school principals — Maria brings deep expertise in serving underserved children and families in Tucson. A former adjunct professor at Pima Community College and Chapman University, she holds a bachelor's in Elementary Education and a master's in Bilingual Education, and volunteers with the Kino Rotary Club of Tucson and the Horse Tales Literacy Project.
“I bring to Angel Heart my skills and expertise in advocating for children in need. Making a difference in children's lives in our community has been my motto.”
Marty Croissant
Co-Founder
Marty's motivation comes from her own childhood and her work in the nonprofit world. In 1963 her family fled Cuba for Miami, then moved to Chicago to pursue the American dream. One of her fondest memories, growing up where things were scarce, was her mother giving them warm pajamas at Christmas — a tradition still carried on today. With her mother as founder, her sister Maria beside her, and her husband's support, Marty helped start Angel Heart Pajama Project.
“Helping children is my passion and my heart.”
The Angel Heart family — mother, daughters, and the loved ones who carry the mission forward.
Who we serve
The children of Arizona
We serve children who are too often overlooked — from newborns to teens — meeting them at moments of real crisis with a gift that is entirely their own.
- Children from newborn to age 18
- Children who are abandoned
- Children living in low-income areas
- Children who are physically or emotionally abused, or neglected
- Children who are homeless and living in shelters
- Children who have special needs
- Children living in foster care
- Children who are refugees
Community outreach
Partnering across Arizona
Our Community Outreach Program helps more Arizona youth who are homeless, in shelters, or in foster care receive pajamas, books, and a cuddle pillow to call their own — thanks to the agencies and businesses who partner with us.
Program partners
Agencies helping us reach children in need
- Ajo Food Bank
- Arizona State Prison – Marana
- Challenger Head Start
- Easter Seals Blake Foundation
- Impact of Southern Arizona
- Most Holy Trinity Food Pantry
- Nogales Head Start
- Nogales Police Department
- Nuestra Casa Head Start
- Owl and Panther
- Pathways
- Rio Rico Head Start
- Sasabe Food Bank
- Sheriff Department of Nogales
- Time Out, Inc. Shelter (Payson / Gila County)
- Tombstone Food Bank
- Western Head Start
Business partners
Local businesses standing with our mission
- Foothills Club of Tucson
- Green Valley / Sahuarita Volunteer Clearinghouse
- Mark Bishop Studio (Podcast)
- Signarama
See the difference — and be part of it
Since 2013, Angel Heart has provided pajamas, books and cuddle pillows to 77,000+ children. Explore our impact, review our transparency, and help us reach the next child.