May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and this year you can make a lasting impact on children in care in your own community. Whether you’re able to give money or time, your contribution helps families thrive. Foster parents open their hearts and homes to children experiencing foster care. This is a worthwhile yet difficult transition for both children and adults; however, when the community rallies around families who are fostering, those families are better equipped to thrive. 

To ensure support, communities must walk alongside children and families impacted by foster care. A supportive community has the power to make a resounding impact, easing the transition for children. Whether through foster care donations that provide financial support to foster families or showing up through emotional support, fostering thrives when it is rooted in community. Your contribution builds a network of meaningful support and encouragement for families currently fostering. This Foster Care Awareness Month, there are so many ways you can help; from volunteering your time to raising awareness or providing essential resources. Every action makes a difference. 

Ways Communities Can Support Foster Care

Community fostering is about wrapping foster families in support. This isn’t limited to their close family and friends; anyone can make a significant difference in the lives of people impacted by foster care. 
 
Every Child Arkansas is a network of advocates, agencies, faith-based organizations, and other organizations working together in trust-building collaboration to fill the biggest gaps in caring for children and families before, during, and beyond foster care. 
 
You can become a vital part of ensuring that foster families are surrounded by a local community of changemakers and have access to the resources they need to thrive. Community fostering looks like volunteers bringing hope, stability, and a sense of belonging to foster families.

Looking for a different way to get involved? You can help build a brighter, more supportive future for children and families who need it most by taking the time to show up. 

Fill out a connect form to discover local agencies, nonprofits, and community events happening in your city that help foster connection and support. The difference you make can be life-changing, not just for the children, but for your entire community. 

The Power of Giving

Donations reduce the financial burden for foster parents, whether it’s meeting an immediate need or offsetting ongoing expenses. Your contribution reminds them that they are not alone and that there is a community intentionally rooting for them. Every kind word, thoughtful gesture, and generous donation helps lift the weight that foster families often carry. It sends a powerful message: that there’s a circle of people who see them, support them, and believe in the transformative power of safe, loving homes. 

Foster Care Awareness Month is a chance for all of us to rally around these families, to step up, speak out, and show up in ways both big and small. 

Strengthening the Foster Care System

Through partnership with agencies, organizations, and faith communities across the state, Every Child and our growing network have come together to support children and families impacted by child welfare. By investing in this network, you help strengthen this web of support for families and children in care. From foster care donations to tangible needs like tutoring, meal support, backpack drives, family fun days, and more, your efforts will offer much-needed encouragement. You will also help create a sense of belonging for children and families navigating the foster care system.  

Your decision to show up and say yes to volunteering, donating, or fostering cultivates a culture of compassion and empathy, and creates stronger community fostering ties that help promote more resilient families. 

Here are a few ways you can support foster families in your community during Foster Care Awareness Month, and beyond: 

• Provide a meal  

• Offer to join a foster family’s support network – ask how you can help 

• Donate diapers, new clothing and toys to local agencies supporting foster children 

• Volunteer to help provide transportation 

YOU can make a resounding impact on the lives of foster families in your community and beyond. Join us in making a difference for foster families and children. See how you can support families today.