Our Love Box Program encourages volunteers to connect with the foster families they are matched with monthly, but our Love Box Leader, Samantha, has gone above and beyond.

Her first month with the Lopez family is off to a great start. So far, Samantha has stopped by twice this month. Once with a Love Box filled to the brim with a small gift for each child in the home (and the parents!) as well as practical household necessities. Samantha used what she learned about the Lopez family during the Needs Assessment to make sure her gifts were intentional and necessary. At the second meet-up, Samantha brought over a board game to teach and play with the children while foster mom, Lina, cooked dinner. Lina's husband has been putting in tons of overtime, so she shared that the time before dinner has been chaotic and difficult to manage on her own. Samantha took this to heart and kept the five little ones occupied so that Lina could have a more relaxing start to her evening. We love when our volunteers listen to their family's needs and find ways to ease any stress or difficulties they may be facing.⁠

UPDATE!

In October, Love Box Leader, Samantha focused on bonding and spending some one-on-one time with the Lopez' oldest child in foster care.

​Samantha got tickets to Disney on Ice, and they went just the two of them. Samantha said they had so much fun getting to know one another more, and the foster mom, Kendra said it was great to have some time at home to focus on her younger kiddos while knowing her oldest was getting to experience a fun activity that would have been too overwhelming for all of the kids in the home. Samantha continues to stop by several times a month to spend time with the kids and help Kendra with whatever she needs around the house.

​Thank you Samantha for walking alongside the Lopez family in their foster care journey!

​Every so often, families on our waitlist have pressing needs that encourage us to reach out to our volunteer community in an attempt to fill that need. 

This is a story about a group of volunteers who went above and beyond for two very special families on our waitlist.

In October Spokane Angels put out an ask on social media for two, one-time Love Boxes for families in foster care who had recently applied to our Love Box program. Since the families were both on our waitlist, they were not receiving the support of monthly love boxes. Both of the families had similar immediate needs, groceries (or funds for groceries), household staples, and clothes for their children (or funds for clothing). We immediatey had at least five volunteers reach out and volunteer to help as needed. One volunteer graciously took on one of the families with a Love Box filled with Fall and Halloween themed activities, as well as several gift cards so they could go shopping for the 4 kids in the home. For the other family, three volunteers worked together to collect some household items like groceries, cleaning supplies, and hygeine products. Several of the volunteers also included gift cards for groceries and gas. The single foster mom and two kids who we collected the items for was overjoyed to receive the Love Box, and said it came just when they needed it. 

Thank you to our volunteers for showing up for families in foster care! You are making the difference!

#volunteering #spokaneangels #nonprofitsofinstagram #fostercommunity #fostercarelove

​"This tiny 2-day old 6-pound precious baby came to my doorstep at midnight on November 17th, he still had his hospital bracelet on. My heart completely melted the second I saw him, he was absolutely beautiful. I never knew I could love someone so much that I just met. Although my heart was filled with love, my heart was also breaking thinking about his birth mom who carried this beautiful baby for 9 months and had to have him removed before he ever went home. The pain she must've felt really stuck to me that night. From the day he entered my heart and my home, I vowed to love him with all my heart, take care of him the best I could, and advocate for his best interest.⁠
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As a single mom, I spend all my free time with baby J. We are extremely close and have a very tight bond. This sounds cheesy but I probably catch myself tearing up at least once a day because of the amount of love I have for him. My favorite part of each day is when I pick him up from daycare and he is so excited to see me. He sees me behind the glass door and crawls as fast as he can while smiling and giggling so hard till he gets to me. There is no better feeling in the world.⁠
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I am grateful that foster care has given me the opportunity to love on and mother 10 beautiful children over the last three years. When someone asks me to tell them about myself I always start with 'I am a Mom.' Being a mom is the core of who I am and how I want others to see me. These children make me a better person. People ask if I will continue to foster if I am given the opportunity to adopt. I tell them yes, I hope to foster for many years to come. Fostering is so needed, children need me. It's what I'm good at and what I love. I just hope one day I can find an amazing partner that will join this journey with me so I can make a bigger impact."⁠