At the heart of One More Child’s mission are vulnerable children and families of all kinds – they are why we do what we do – but we hold a special place in our hearts for foster families. It is our extraordinary joy to wrap our arms around these families during the inevitable challenging times they face in caring for children who are deeply affected by the brokenness of our world. One More Child’s Azinger Family Compassion Center provides tangible resources to struggling families, and that is where we met foster dad, James. *
Volunteers were busy stocking the shelves with donated goods when the bell at the front desk rang. One of our volunteers Tim hurried to see who was there and was surprised to find a man he had never seen at the Center before.
The man was wearing a ballcap and had a hesitant expression on his face and introduced himself as James. He explained that he was a foster dad, and his wife sent him to the Center to pick up meat that had been donated and marked for foster families.
Tim could sense James’ reluctance – he just looked like he was waiting for “the catch” – so he guided him through the building to where the meat was, making small talk and sharing a little bit about the Center. James was surprised to learn that the pork and beef were fresh from the county fair. He looked relieved.
Tim encouraged him to “stuff his freezer full.” James laughed a little and gratefully filled his arms with as much meat as he could carry.
Then, Tim took James on a tour of the warehouse, showing him all the additional shelves filled with food and household items for foster families, including pallets of sausages and take-and-bake meals. He looked a little overwhelmed, saying he did not want to take too much. He said that they were doing fine, and it was their joy to foster children in their home. But again, Tim reassured him that there was no such thing as “too much.”
“This is just a small sample of all that comes into the Azinger Center on a daily basis, and we want our foster families in the community to know we love them and are doing everything we can to support the eternal difference they are making through their faithful service to God,” Tim shared.
Finally assured, James started “shopping,” filling a cart with food and household items, and left the Center with a grateful heart.
Before he left, Tim asked James how his wife heard about the donation of meat. He shared that she had seen it on Facebook in a group for One More Child foster families.
Just like the old expression, it truly does “take a village” of compassionate volunteers and organizations to lead the way in creating and maintaining the wraparound support for our superhero foster families like James.’ We are honored to not only distribute tangible goods struggling families need to make life a little easier, but also to spread love of Jesus and His compassion to those we meet each day.