"bE KIND WHENEVER POSSIBLE AND KNOW..... THAT IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE"
Our Mission and What We Do
Their Story is Our Story
Foster Care Help began when we were active Foster Parents ourselves.
In networking with many other Foster Care Families, and Communities,
we identified a hole in the system that was un-recognized and un-supported.
Gratefully, in our home we were financially stable and could buy anything that a short notice placement of a child might need, and even allow the child to take items with them even if they were only to be with us for a day or two.
While in prayer one morning specifically about asking for the ability to provide for these children emotionally and materially, in a way that pleased God, it hit us. We suddenly realized that the average family could not shell out a several hundred, or even a few thousand dollars for a temporary placement not knowing if it was going to be for a few days, weeks, or a forever placement.
Contrary to popular belief, while they do deeply care, Foster Care Agencies, State and Local Government did not offer the type of support that was and is missing. They are incredible organizations for sure, but can barely keep up with the large amount of children coming into Foster Care every single day.
We felt such a strong calling to serve in the Foster Care Community, we would have 100 children if it were reasonable, but it is not, creating this organization to support those that support others however....does allow us along with people just like you, to love on 100's and possibly 1000's of children that are almost always innocent victims of big people decisions, and end up unfairly carrying the burden and weight of those decisions on their little shoulders.
Imagine yourself, willing to become a Foster Care Provider, knowing that at any given moment, suddenly and without notice, You find yourself accepting a child into your home on a sometimes an hour notice or less. These sudden placement(s) could be a single child, or an entire family sibling group of 5 !
Within 2 hours or less of receiving a phone call, suddenly You have this child or children in your home and are focused on trying to lessen the trauma of this event on the child / children knowing that what they have just went through in the last few hours is already too heavy for them to carry.
They arrive to your home, everyone is introduced, you show them around your home and do your very best to comfort them. You prepare a meal and sit down together, in an incredibly awkward initial setting getting to know them and their needs so that you can attempt to provide the very best care for them possible during this transition into the unknown for them, and for yourself.
As things settle down and you begin to see signs of these young people relaxing as much as they can. You realize that they were brought to you with a single small trash bag of personal items. In that bag is everything they have and usually nothing that they are soon going to need. The children have not been able to think far enough into the future to realize they have bed time needs, clothing, tooth brushes, or anything they are going to need very soon.
Times Up ! It's 11pm, they realize that they need night time clothing, underwear, tooth brushes, socks, and just very personal hygiene items.
And what to most of us doesn't seem like a big deal, to the child that has been attempting on the outside to be strong "hiding their feelings" in what they have just wen through, a sudden abrupt trauma of being placed into a strangers home, this one single thing of realizing you do not have your own clothing or necessities, creates an entirely new level of stress to them.
Imagine, asking a stranger that you just met minutes ago,
in this incredibly awkward scenario already, for something, for anything.
Asking You for anything.....It's the last thing they want to, or mentally CAN do.
Often instead of asking you for help,
these children will hide and avoid the conversation, and go without.
Foster Care Help's Mission is to have on "Constant Ready" status,
all of these items so that we can deliver them to the Foster Parent's Home
FAST and Discreetly on very short notice.
While it may not seem like much, removing this single piece of stress from the Foster Parents, and specifically the Foster Children is very POWERFUL and shields them from another source of pain or dis-comfort in their transitional position as a Foster Placement in a stranger's home.
Items We Currently Need
Below Is a Partial Listing of Items We Need:
CLOTHING - All Clothing Items Must Be NEW or "LIKE NEW" Condition
Jeans
T-Shirts,
Pants
Sweatshirts and Sweatpants
Socks
Underwear - New Only
Gloves
Hats
Jackets
Coats
Shoes
Boots
Dress Shirts
Pajamas
Hygiene - All Items Must Be Factory Sealed and "NEW ONLY"
Deodorant
Liquid Soap
Feminine Hygiene Items
Curling Irons
Blow Dryers
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Laundry Detergent
Laundry Softner
Hair Brushes
Toys - All Toy Items Must Be NEW or "LIKE NEW" Condition
Toys of All Kinds and All Age Groups
NO STUFFED ANIMALS UNLESS FACTORY SEALED and Un-OPENED PLEASE
Entertainment - Entertainment Items Must Be "NEW" or "LIKE NEW" Condition
Headphones
Activity Books
Video Games / Video Game Systems
Personal Notebooks / Journals
Tablets
Laptops
Comfort Items - NEW Items Only Please
Diapers
Blankets
Pillows
Anything That May Provide Personal or Emotional Comfort
Miscellaneous items - "NEW" or "LIKE NEW" Condition
Luggage - We Often See Children with nothing but Wal-Mart Bags
Carrying their personal belongings from place to place
Large Plastic Storage Containers - For Clothing Sorting and Storage
Gift Cards - Places to Go, or Things to Do, that will help form a bond between the Foster Care Givers and the Fostered Children. Being stuck in the house is often one of the biggest complaints we hear from children in placement.
Time - Donate Your Time Helping Distribute Donated Items
Prayer - Please Pray for the Foster Care Help Program(s) to be a source of light for those in need of light. For the Foster Parents receiving donated items to have at least a few of the stressors they normally feel with a new foster child, be lifted from them, so that they can become amazing care takers of those they are providing care for. For the children, on the receiving end of what we distribute to come to know Jesus and realize that random acts of kindness that they see through us here, are not as random as they once thought. Finally, the guidance and wisdom for leadership, and volunteers in daily operations and logistics here at Foster Care Help, to not miss the opportunity to truly serve others and to always conduct themselves in a way that pleases God, always.