The Need You Probably Didn’t Know About: Meals for Children In Foster Care Transition

I love taking meals to people who are in need. Sometimes they are welcoming a new child into their home, are sick or recovering from surgery, or they have just moved. Recently I added another category to that list.

Did you know that children who are in foster care end up spending days, nights, and even weeks in the social services office while they wait for a placement?

There are more children (specifically teenagers) coming into foster care than there are available foster homes, so they must wait in the office until their social worker is able to find even a temporary placement for them.

Remember that children come into foster care through no fault of their own, but because their birth parents were unable or unwilling to properly care for them. Volunteers are often able to provide lunch and supper for these children in transition, which is what I’ve been doing over the last two months.

Amy Hannon is an author and speaker who teaches Biblical hospitality. The other day I popped onto her Instagram stories as she shared a simple meal she dropped off on someone’s porch, simply to encourage them in a hard season.

She told her friend, “God is the giver of all good gifts. I just get to be the person who delivers those gifts to your door!” I love that perspective. When our hearts are filled with the goodness and love of God, it’s easy to share that love with others in a way that moves the focus from our “good deed” to God’s goodness.

Here are the meals I’ve taken to the precious children in our offices:

Lunch:

• Turkey Subs
• Assorted individual bags of chips (Aldi sells a big box of name brand chips for a good deal)
• Sandwich bags with grapes or apple slices
• String Cheese
• Individually Wrapped Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Lemonade and Fruit Punch

Supper #1:

• Baked Spaghetti
• Garlic Bread
• Brownies (baked in muffin tins for easy packaging)
• Grape Soda

Supper #2:

• Chicken Casserole (I didn’t add the broccoli)
• 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Apple Slices and Grapes
• Water Bottles with assorted flavor packets (cherry limeade, orange, strawberry)

It’s important to keep the meals simple, considering picky eaters and palates that are used to processed food. I always label everything and tuck in some string cheese just in case someone just wants to eat cheese. We all know kiddos like that, right? 🙂

I try to wrap things in individual servings and always put hot food in microwavable containers. You never know when the food will be eaten – sometimes they end up using leftover lunches for supper.

Any time I take food to people, I like to include pretty or fun paper products. Those emoji napkins came from Dollar Tree and I think they’re perfect! I made a bunch of these little notes to have on hand and always incorporate them into the dessert packaging, knowing that’s most likely to be eaten. 🙂

Do you have time to make a meal, even once a month, for the children in your local foster care system? My local offices ask for meals that feed 2-6 children, which is a very manageable amount. This is such a wonderful way to deliver God’s good gifts!

To find out if there’s a need for this in your area, call your office of social services or ask a foster parent that you know. In my county, some of the meals are coordinated by a staff member and some are coordinated by a foster parent association.

If you’re in my area (Greenville County, South Carolina) and would like to participate, leave a comment here and I’ll send you the information.

Here’s a super simple way to help – just share this blog post on Facebook or Instagram. I would really appreciate your help in raising awareness for this need. ❤

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. (James 1:17,27)

Read More:

• 10 Things You Can Do To Support The Foster Parents In Your Life
• 3 Meals To Take To Friends (New Baby, Sickness, Just Moved)
• Our Adoption Journey