Together. Everywhere. Every child.
Project Milk Carton · a 501(c)(3)
About 890 kids are reported missing in America every day
We read the public records, follow the money, and learn the law. Then we show you what we find, in plain words.
It takes all of us
Highlights of people in the Circle.
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Partner story
How we met Beds for Kids
Walk into the Beds for Kids warehouse in Charlotte, and you see right away what a community can do when it pulls together.
Read the story -
Partner story
How we met Quentin of D2C
Some meetings feel like a gift. Our coffee with Quentin Williams of Dedication To Community (D2C) was one of them.
Read the story
The number
About 890 children are reported missing every day in the United States.
In 2025, police added a missing child under 18 to the FBI's national list
323,767 times. That is about 887 a day.
One child can be reported more than once.
Source: FBI, 2025 NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics (2025).
Where do you want to go?
Three ways in.
Do you know something about a missing child? Call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678), the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Someone answers day and night.
- 21,487children under 18 were still listed as missing in the FBI's national list on December 31, 2025. Source: FBI, 2025 NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics
- 323,767times in 2025 police added a missing child under 18 to the FBI's national list. Source: FBI, 2025 NCIC Missing Person and Unidentified Person Statistics
- 2,871children are listed on Project Milk Carton right now. Source: NCMEC's public list, as we last read it
Watch
Why we do this work.
A short film on why Project Milk Carton exists, what we look for, and how one person with a phone can help.
From our desk
What we wrote lately.
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Civic Action Plan: Get the Free Numbers to Families Before a Crisis
This plan goes with our guide, The Second Predator: When “Help” for a Family in Crisis Comes With a Bill, and its video version.
Read it on Substack -
The Second Predator: When "Help" for a Family in Crisis Comes With a Bill
The families in this piece are composites, built from patterns in federal warnings. They are not real people, and no real child is described.
Read it on Substack -
Five Ways a Group Can Adopt One Seat for Kids in Care
In “ Pick Your Seat ”, we asked readers to pick one role that fits the time they really have. This companion guide is for groups: a congregation, a team, a block of neighbors. Shared work lasts longer than one person’s good intentions, because when one member has a hard month...
Read it on Substack
Get involved
Stand in the circle.
Your gift helps us keep this work free for every family. Project Milk Carton is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts are tax-deductible.