There are many local missions supporting foster families. Several stand out in how they’ve stepped in when we needed help.

Reflecting on Impact
Thanks to Facebook I spent a lot of time this past weekend thinking about nonprofits that have impacted our journey. You see, I celebrated a birthday on Sunday and Facebook did the traditional prompt encouraging me to select a nonprofit to raise funds for. I typically do this, but this year I was a bit overwhelmed at all the local missions that have impacted and supported our journey. 

So, in honor of my birthday (32 this year!) I’m going to highlight a couple of the MANY nonprofits and organizations that have played a role. My goal is to share resources that are available to anyone that needs help. Also, if you’d like to make a donation in honor of my birthday, I promise they are all powerful local missions! 

Fostering : Love

I could go on and on about how much this team has supported our family and our journey. When our baby girl joined us with 4 hours notice, the Fostering : Love team brought so many of the essentials we needed to get through that first night. A newborn wasn’t in our plan, so we had nothing! They brought a bassinet, bouncer, formula, bottles, diapers, burp cloths, and other items we didn’t even know to ask for! 

Ever since that first delivery, the team at Fostering : Love has continued to show up and offer support. This includes Respite Nights where they love on our kiddos and give Correy and I a much needed date night out. Other events are for our whole family and have allowed us to connect with other foster families we would never have crossed paths with otherwise. These connections have brought encouragement, friendships, and sharing items and resources. 

You can follow all they are up to on their Facebook or visit their website here. 

Pure Gift of God

Another organization and team that has had an incredible impact on our journey is Pure Gift of God. As we navigated those early days of adding our newborn girl to our family this team also showed up. They delivered a crib so we could start to get an actual nursery set up. Several times while our girl was still on formula we faced issues with the shortage and not finding what we needed. More than once the Pure Gift of God team came through and delivered cans of formula to us. 

In addition to meeting many of these tangible needs, this organization also hosts an annual Hope for the Journey Conference. The training received during this conference has been so valuable to us on our foster care journey. The first one we attended was before we took our first placement and it helped prepare us for what we might face. We recently attended again and left so encouraged and renewed as we took tangible ways to better love and parent our children through their trauma. 

This mission continues to grow and impact families locally. You can learn more about them by visiting their website here or following them on Facebook. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters

As a previous employee of Big Brothers Big Sisters, I might be a little biased. However, I’m so thankful for the ways that this organization has supported the kiddos in our care. Our two older kids participate in the school based mentoring program. They have enjoyed having that outlet every week after school to have fun with a positive mentor. 

Our oldest is also at the age where he can do the community based program. He developed a great relationship with his Big at school and was able to transition to where they could meet outside the school setting. This has been huge for him to have another male role model that he gets one-on-one. They are a great match!

Also, the organization puts on events for matches and families that have given us extra things to do together. This helps as we build relationships with the kiddos and look for opportunities to encourage their interests. Our two oldest were able to enroll in special camps this summer covered by the agency which is not something that would have been in our budget otherwise!

Keep up with their mission and impact on Facebook or by visiting their website here. 

Salvation Army – Diaper Bank

Our local Salvation Army touches so many lives through all of their services. One specific area we have really been blessed by is the Diaper Bank. Currently, three of our four kiddos utilize either diapers or pull ups and the cost of that adds up fast! 

They make it easy to utilize with no income requirement. Each month I just call and set up an appointment to come by and have a simple form to fill out. We receive 50 diapers and 30 of each of our pull up sizes. We’re so thankful for this practical and simple gift that makes a big difference! 

The Salvation Army is an agency partner of the Heart of Ohio Diaper Bank. To learn more or schedule an appointment, contact the Dover-New Philadelphia Salvation Army. Follow all that they are doing on Facebook or by visiting their website here. 

Wrap Up

So many more missions and individuals have impacted our journey. I wish I could go through them all but there’s honestly likely even more than I can recall. If you’re a foster or kinship parent, or just a parent that needs extra support, these resources are a great place to start! Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Diaper Bank are both resources for anyone! Fostering : Love and Pure Gift of God both also do work beyond just foster families as they touch kinship and adoptive families as well. Just know that there is help and support out there and you do not have to do this alone.