Foster Love Project

May is #NationalFosterCareMonth and we are always asking ourselves how we can better support kids in foster care. The death of Ma'Khia Bryant was very heavy and even more so, knowing that she was in foster care. At our recent staff meeting, we discussed this article so that we can be aware of changes for which we can advocate to create better support systems. This is a heavy article with great impact in being written by a former foster youth. We are working to continue to listen, advocate and support our local foster youth. https://thegrio.com//makhia-bryant-foster-system-black-c/

May is National Foster Care Month. We begin with sobering statistics: more than 400,000 children in the United States experience foster care each year. Every day, our team is working to provide support and resources for those who need it most. Thank you to all those in our community who have invested their time and/or resources to building a better future for our foster youth. https://www.fosterloveproject.org/ #nationalfostercaremonth #fosterloveproject

It was a joy to host our first in-person event of 2021 for our Excellent Hair Care workshop! We love partnering with Tamiah Bridgett (@iant1010) for transracial families to learn about the best products, tools and protective styles for their hair. Tamiah is an amazing teacher and we loved learning from her knowledge and skills. We had fun goodie baskets and some awesome girls who loved playing together. We can't wait to plan another event!

This past week we were able to welcome 19 shopping guests - ranging from a tiny preemie baby to some wonderful teens. Each visit focuses on the dignity of the child who is shopping....what clothes are comfortable for them, what books do they like or which shoes fit the best. Cribs, car seats, bedding and more left in full vehicles. All in all, we gave away more than $4,300 in goods this week! We are grateful for everyone who helps support wrapping around kids in foster care in our region. https://www.fosterloveproject.org/

We love to celebrate the moments of reunification for families!

We are so grateful for our compassionate and hard-working staff! We recently had a mom visit who was in active labor and our staff flew into fast mode, assisting the family and ensuring their needs were met. It is our joy to come alongside families and children in our region. #fosterloveproject

We are grateful to provide support in a variety of ways throughout the year to kids impacted by foster care and adoption. You can join with us in support of any number of programs year round! https://www.fosterloveproject.org/

We are incredibly grateful for our team at Foster Love Project! Together they have overseen 500 kids coming through our center this year, 250 Christmas gifts in December, over a 1,000 transition bags collected, a Back to School event for 141 kids, pivoted to a virtual family retreat, an ambitious end of year giving campaign and putting steps in place for a move to a larger location in 2021- all while navigating a pandemic and virtual schooling for their combined 9 children. ...We are taking a much needed break for the holidays and our office/center will be closed through January 4th. Our giving link is open through Dec. 31: https://givebutter.com/FosterLove_EndOfYearCampaign2020 We wish you the best holidays available to you this year and we look forward to serving with you in 2021! -Kelly, Lorraine, Jacqui & Liz

Volunteer Spotlight: Deb Whitewood (pictured in blue coat.) Deb has been a long time faithful volunteer at #fosterloveproject! During our bag drive she puts in extra hours with bag deliveries and has carried hundreds of transition bags to our agency partners. We are grateful for the many miles she puts in as well as the physical work of carrying bags. She is a vital part of our volunteer team!

Our 2020 bag drive has come to end, but as you can see, our work is not yet done! We'll have more updates in January on the final numbers and impact that these bags will have for kids facing crisis in the coming year. We wish this program did not have to exist, but we're grateful for each lovingly packed bag which will let them know that they are not forgotten in some of their most difficult moments. #FLPbagdrive

We were so thrilled when rue21 shared with us that they were choosing #fosterloveproject as their company wide holiday charity. We were even more excited when they shared their giving goal was 10k! Well, y'all, they got to work!! They reached out to their vendors and contacts and we were in awe to see their campaign grow. We are in shock to see their campaign end at over $108,000 - the largest donation Foster Love Project has received to date! We are so grateful for this am...azing outpouring of generosity! These funds are going to be an incredible help as we move to a new location in 2021 and ultimately be able to provide more resources and support to kids in foster care in our region. If your company or organization would be interested in a little fun competition for a good cause, our giving platform, Givebutter, is incredibly easy and user friendly for us to set you up with a company wide giving campaign. Don't hesitate to reach out to us! Thank you, #rue21, and to everyone who has generously given during this challenging year. We are so grateful to partner with you for vulnerable kids in our region.

We want to say an incredible thank you to all those who have donated your time, goods and finances to Foster Love Project in 2020! Together we have navigated these extreme challenges and saw more than 500 kids safely visit our shopping center this year! We are currently on pause for ALL donations through the end of the year and will be closed from December 21 - January 2. Our giving link is open and there is still time to donate to our end of the year campaign! Please go he...re to give: https://givebutter.com/FosterLove_EndOfYearCampaign2020 Thank you for joining with us in the care of our local foster youth! #fosterloveproject

It's the final day of bag drive!!! Today is the last day where drop boxes will be available at all of our community partner locations. After today, please do not drop bags at other locations as the boxes will not be there. You can also drop bags off at Foster Love Project this Thursday or Saturday, 9am-noon. Our center will then be closed from December 21-January 2. We say a huge thank you to our 19 community drop locations for opening your space for us! Many of these busine...sses have been juggling the challenges of the pandemic as well as the closures and restrictions - we are grateful for their care for kids in foster care despite all of these additional pressures. And did you know we've had a team of 29 volunteers who have worked together to collect bags from all our drop locations and bring them to the center? They have also done an incredible job despite what they are juggling as well. Thank you to everyone who has worked together this season to ensure that kids in foster care in our region are not forgotten during the difficult transitions they have to make. Find drop locations and all bag drive details here: https://www.fosterloveproject.org/2020-bag-drive.html #FLPbagdrive

Tonight's the night! Skip a night of cooking and head to Chick-fil-A McKnight Road. We suggest using the app to order ahead....just be sure your order comes between 5-7pm.