Written by Olivia

Edited by Helena

Are you interested in getting involved in the foster care system? Are you too young to adopt or foster but still want to make an impact on a foster child’s life? There are many ways that you can make this impact on young lives. For example, a great way is to volunteer with a foster care organization. If you are in the Travis county area there are several organizations and volunteer opportunities available to you. Below we have listed some of the organizations you can volunteer with and a little bit about what each opportunity might entail!

SAFE

SAFE is an organization in Austin that works to advocate for those in difficult situations. Their work ranges from serving those who are experiencing abuse, to helping kids get fostered and adopted. As covid-19 restrictions in Austin are lifted, SAFE has begun to open up more volunteer opportunities.

An activity that you may participate in is assembling “SAFE kits and Activity Boxes” . These care packages help give families and children essential things that they might need. For example, you can assemble bathroom kits that have essential bathroom supplies and toiletries or a bedroom kit which would include bedding and laundry detergent or a food kit with packaged meals and easy to store dinner items like pasta. SAFE also includes more hands-on volunteer activities; this month they have garden and campus clean up days! If you would like more information about these volunteer opportunities you can go to their website. 

Foster Angels 

Foster Angels provides a number of suggestions for you to get involved with their organization. The first thing you can do is participate in a peer-to-peer fundraiser. Say that you are fundraising for the organization and are able to share a bit of information about them. A great example of this is a Facebook birthday event, you can choose Foster Angels as a recipient of any donations sent to you for your birthday. Another opportunity available is participating in Foster Angels Back to School drive as well as their Toys for Teens drive which helps provide holiday gifts for teenagers in foster care. Finally, the last way that you are able to support Foster Angels is through their monthly giving opportunity. This is where you can make a monthly donation. Even a donation of $10 can make a difference in a child’s life. A simple $10 gift can supply a child important school supplies, as well as essential products like hygiene and clothing products.  For more information on the ways to get involved check out Foster Angles website. 

Fresh Chef’s Society

Fresh Chef Society teaches foster children the skills they would need to be able to work in the food industry as well as prepare food in their own lives. The Fresh Chef Society’s children learn how to cook meals through cooking classes. You can get involved by teaching a cooking class, FCS suggests that you could start by sharing how to make your favorite inexpensive “go to” meal. If you can’t teach a class, you can join the events committee which helps plan parties for the kids that they support as well as their partners. Finally, if you have a space available, you can host a Fresh Chef Society event. You could host their next fundraiser or drive. To know more about these opportunities you can visit the volunteer page on the website.