The summer months for a foster family with 6+ kids means HUGE grocery bills. We were able to supply our foster families with grocery gifts cards in May but that money went fast and their pantries are bare again. With so many kids and teens in each of our 10 (soon to be 11) homes, food is always a great need.

Here is how you can help! Grab an extra few things while grocery shopping OR gather your family, co-workers, neighbors, church friends and collect any of the food items listed below. You can even deliver these items directly to the foster family of your choice for an opportunity to meet the kids who you will be directly supporting with your contribution.

If you are able to help, please contact Amber at 314-842-8400 or email amber@angelsarms.org.

FOOD WISH LIST

~ Meat, Dairy and Bread
Ground beef, chicken breast, hot dogs, eggs, milk, cream cheese, butter, yogurt cups, bread, bagels and tortillas.

On average, a foster family of 6 kids can go through 5 gallons of milk, 5 loaves of bread and 5 dozen eggs per week.

~ Cereal
Cereals such as Lucky Charms, Cookie Crisp, Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Cinnamon Life, Krave, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Captain Crunch, Honey Comb, Honey Bunches of Oats, Fruit Loops and Cocoa Puffs.

Other breakfast/snack foods: Granola bars, pop tarts and fruit snacks.

Most of our foster families go though 2 boxes of cereal PER DAY. With the average box of brand name cereal priced just under $4 each, that’s over $50 on cereal alone per week!

~ Fruits & Vegetables
Apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, watermelon and grapes.
Cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, celery, corn, peppers, onions and potatoes.

Many of the items listed above are easy and healthy mid-day snacks for our kids.

~ Frozen & Misc. Foods
Frozen pizzas, Hot Pockets, chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, burritos, french fries, canned ravioli, spaghetti and mac and cheese and chips/crackers.

For a foster family of 8, three home cooked meals per day is not always an option. Quick meals are a go-to for our foster families during the summer months.

Summer is well under way and our foster families are excited for all that’s in store. Thanks to our friends at The Sports Pub in Oakville, MO, all of our families will be enjoying a weekend at Trout Lodge this summer. While there, the families will be taking part in swimming, archery, fishing, hiking, horseback riding and so much more. For most, it will be their first time experiencing anything like this. We are excited for them and can’t wait to hear all about their trips. Here are a few pictures of the Fisher family during their weekend trip in June.

Right at this very moment there are more kids in foster care than ever before. And also right at this moment, there are fewer foster homes available for them.

We can get angry at the parents for having kids and not knowing how to parent and for making poor choices, but the kids are still here and they need us. Each of us can have a part in these innocent children’s lives.

Foster parents are the real saints in this world. They have to teach and “unlearn” and deal with behaviors most of us have never encountered. They have to have more than just patience. They have to have steadfast faith and hope in each child and believe that their guidance and direction is having an impact on these children.

But these foster parents and we at Angels’ Arms get to experience the joy of many firsts for foster children. We get to see the expressions on their faces when they have their first birthday party; when they eat their first Dippin’ Dots; when they give us hugs and thank you cards; when they get their first “A” on an assignment; when they go to Trout Lodge and experience their first vacation; when they take a dance or music lesson; when they run track or play soccer. The list goes on and on. The joys are endless, and what we have to do every day (sometimes every hour) is remind ourselves that these joys outweigh the scary and troubling behaviors and attitudes.

All of us can and need to play a part in foster children’s lives.

Bess Wilfong
Angels’ Arms Founder/Executive Director