May is National Foster Care Month.
Foster parents are often under appreciated and under paid. They do a job that most people do not want to do, as evidenced by the major shortage of foster families nationwide.
So, if you know a foster parent, commemorate National Foster Care Month by showing him or her that you appreciate their sacrifice for needy and traumatized children.
Here are some ideas to get you started showing your appreciation to the foster parents you know:
- Have them over for dinner
- Give them a gift card to a nice restaurant or to a movie theater
- Offer to baby-sit so they can have some time out without the children
- Donate money in their name to a charity that helps foster children
- Volunteer to help with the laundry or other household chores
- Hire a housekeeper for a day to clean their house
- Help transport foster children to appointments, school, visitation
- Provide a shoulder to cry on; or a listening, non-judgmental ear
- Pray for them and the family
- Send/ email a card of encouragement
- Purchase a subscription for them to a foster parenting magazine, such as: Fostering Families Today.
- Give them a hug or a pat on the back, and tell them that they are doing a great job
- Send them a thank-you card
Hopefully, these ideas will get your creative juices flowing. If you do something special for a foster family you know, I would love to hear about it!
