64113 Love Box leader

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This sweet family has 1 biological child, 3 adopted children, and 1 who is still in foster care (a sibling to 2 of their adopted kids). They are a medical and behavioral home so have kids with higher needs. Their oldest is autistic, their 7 yr old is behavioral, and their 4 yr olds are both medical. They are very committed to ensuring their children have the support they need to thrive, which means they spend hours on the road and at appts every week (and that’s not counting if someone is sick!). They’ve been licensed for about 5.5 yrs. Their largest need is respite and childcare on the occasional week night or weekend to allow for more 1:1 time with kids as well as time to complete projects around the house (and maybe a date?!). They have a couple of babysitters but only 1 that can manage all 5 at once and at $25/hr, so they only use her for emergencies. Gas cards are also incredibly helpful as our 5 are spread out at daycares/schools across the city and they have many medical appts each week given that 4 out of their 5 boys have special needs. The family would be blessed with additional support through the Love Box program via Curated monthly care packages to celebrate holidays or upcoming events OR provide basic essentials items (household supplies, pantry items, etc.)Clothes, shoes, and toys for kids, Babysitting (example: for date night), Playdates with your kids (if applicable), Transportation for after school pick-up or extracurriculars, Meals and/or grocery deliveries, Arts, crafts, and other activities to promote learning and creative expression,Mentorship, Outdoor community-based activities (example: pumpkin patch, BBQ, etc.)

One of our solutions to the foster care crisis is the Love Box Program. Our program utilizes a trauma-informed, wrap-around service model that strengthens relationships between foster families, foster youth and bio-families. Our volunteers are everyday people that sponsor a local foster family with monthly care packages meeting practical needs while spending quality time with the whole family building positive community. You are changing the way kids and parents experience the foster care system. At KCMO Angels we believe in the power of love and the value of friendship and positive role models for kids in foster care. We want to connect people passionate about making a difference in the foster care community to our most vulnerable children that have experience neglect and abuse and the selfless parents who care for them.

LOVE BOX:

When volunteer groups sign up and are trained, they are assigned a specific foster or kinship family in their area. The group commits to making a personal care package and delivers them to each child in the home as well as the foster parent(s) each month for 1 year. The financial commitment will vary based on the needs/size of the family. Items for kids in the boxes usually include items (clothes, shoes, a favorite snack, games, activity etc). Some boxes may include household supplies and food items (toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, snacks etc). Others may include staple pantry items, food or gas gift cards. Large scale needs such as furniture, vehicles etc., are outside of the program parameters to be fulfilled by the Love Box team. These needs can be communicated from the family to the volunteers, and volunteer’s partner with their assigned Case KCMO Angels Case Manager to locate resources to try and fulfill these needs. Every month the foster family works with their Love Box Leader to decide on a delivery date that works best for both parties. Love Box meetings can take place anywhere but usually it is at the foster family’s home. We also encourage our LB groups to plan fun outings as part of the delivery, treating the family to dinner at a local restaurant, or take the whole family to the park, movie theater etc.

The Love Box is really a conduit to become a mentor or friend, who offers love, motivation & encouragement. The heart of our program is connection and relationship rather than just providing a box.

Appy here Connect: Intake Form (socialsolutionsportal.com) and a member of our team will be in touch to move forward!