Sunday, May 5, 2024
While serving multiple counties including Bosque, Hamilton, and Bell, the Fostering Arrows Foster Closet has recently made its base location at Trinity Baptist Church in our hometown of Gatesville.
The Fostering Arrows Foster Closet was established by Sarah Brown, director, with the goal to support foster, kinship, and adoptive families by providing any resources for needs they might have.
Brown and her family began attending Trinity Baptist Church in December 2022, later joining the church in April of this year after moving to Gatesville.
The idea of adopting and fostering children has always been a desire of Brown’s from a very early age.
“I’ve wanted to adopt since I was nine,” Brown said.
In 2017, Brown and her husband obtained their license to adopt from foster care, and within a year the couple adopted a newborn.
“I always thought that once I adopted, I would feel fulfilled. But when we adopted, I wanted to do more,” Brown said. “I have always wondered what God had for me, and once I first adopted, it was as if God showed me, this is your purpose.”
Brown began researching the different needs of foster families and came across something that felt demeaning to her. When Child Protective Services (CPS) arrive to transport the children, the workers will hand the child a trash bag to put their belongings in.
As Brown pondered on ways she could help, she decided to have her two oldest children help her fill 10 backpacks with hygiene products, stuffed animals, coloring books, and more to have them delivered to a local CPS office.
On the side, Brown is a photographer as well, so she got creative to get more people involved by offering free mini sessions if her clients were willing to donate to the cause.
“We ended up with 70 backpacks full, and it ignited something inside me,” Brown said. “So, I thought what else can we do?”
“Foster families that are getting placements in the middle of the night don’t always have the essentials they need,” Brown said. She explained that CPS will give a monthly stipend, but it takes around a month to get it.
“I wanted to open something that is accessible,” Brown said. “I had an idea, so I talked to Brother Sam [Crosby] here at the church, and he said absolutely.”
Originally, the foster closet was opened for families with new placements, but as time passed, she began to realize that the children would outgrow everything they originally arrived with.
“I thought about it, and I wanted to do it for everyone, foster families and adoptive families,” Brown said. “It’s for any foster family or adoptive family that just has a need; it’s here and free for the taking.”
The actual foster closet itself only includes half of the items, while the larger ones are in the bus barn at the church.
“It is a corner full of bouncers, strollers, highchairs, cribs, and big stuff that I couldn’t fit in the closet,” Brown said.
When items are donated to the foster closet, Brown and her team of ladies within the church will go through the donations. The items must be sorted by size and gender, as well as checking the condition.
“Sometimes, if we have extra donations or too much of something, I will deliver it to the Boys and Girls Club, so they can use it,” Brown said.
Brown has yet to buy a single item for her foster closet, as everything comes in through donations from the community.
“Not everyone wants to actually foster or adopt, but there’s so many other ways to help support those families,” Brown said.
Brown will post what the foster closet needs on Facebook, and within a week the closet will be full of donations.
“It’s just neat to be able to meet new people in the community that I can hopefully bring in and do more to help foster families with specific needs,” Brown said.
The foster closet will accept donations of diapers, wipes, hygiene items, bottles, clothes, shoes, toys, and more, with its biggest need right now being size 3T in boys’ clothing.
“I think it’s important for foster families to have that place of support, because some people don’t and are doing this alone,” Brown said. “Kids are expensive, and you get some help from the government. But when you need stuff now, I want to be that person that can help right then.”
The Fostering Arrows Foster Closet has served over 100 families to date with hopes to shed light onto the fostering community.
“Not only do I want to help fill needs, but I want them to see that there is a place here in Gatesville,” Brown said.
Brown expressed that she established the foster closet, because, as a foster parent herself, she understands how stressful it can be and is seeing an increase in people quitting early, because there’s no support.
“I feel like this is somewhat a forgotten ministry in the sense of it doesn’t get a lot of fanfare and its hard, but it’s super important,” Brown said. “Not only just showing them love, but we have had the chance to show them the love of Christ.”
“I may not always be fostering, and I obviously cannot adopt every kid, but I want to be involved in this ministry in any capacity I can,” Brown said.
