Like other industries, the foster care industry benefits greatly from donations. Regardless of the contribution or the form, every little bit counts. These donations not only provide basic care for children in the system, but they enable foster families to provide the stability and resources each child needs.
Therapeutic Family Life is honored to channel these donations to support local foster families and ensure they receive the support they need. After all, choosing to foster a child is one of the most selfless acts; anything we can do to make their experience even better is paramount to us.
If you’d like to start making contributions, we can help. This blog will answer the most commonly asked questions about foster care donations, including what they are, what they provide, and how you can get started.
What Are Foster Care Donations?
Foster care donations are contributions to foster care facilities intended to support local families and foster children in their care. Several types of foster care donations can be made, including financial, in-kind, and in-person services.
Financial donations, regardless of the amount can be used in a variety of ways, generally on basic needs. These funds may also be used for extracurricular activities, educational programs, and as a means of providing support for children as they age out of the foster care system and begin to live life on their own. In-kind donations, on the other hand, are tangible items such as toys, clothing, and books, whereas in-person services refer to volunteering.
The goal of these foster care donations is to provide support to children and their families. For example, in-kind donations of toys during the holiday season can ensure that a child has a memorable Christmas regardless of any financial strain their family may be experiencing.
Keep reading for an in-depth overview of the types of foster care donations available to determine which one is the right fit for you or your organization — that’s right, your company can get involved in this charitable initiative (and yes they’re even tax deductible!)
Why Are Foster Care Donations Important?
Despite the federal and state funding that foster care programs receive, the reality is that there is always more that not only can be done — but needs to be done — to support families. Ask any parent and they’ll tell you that child-rearing isn’t cheap. In Texas alone, the cost of child-rearing over a single year ranges between $12,000 — $22,000!
When you add things like inflation, lack of resources, and potential job loss to the mix, foster parents may be experiencing significant financial strain, putting their ability to properly care for their child at risk. It’s situations like this that highlight the importance of foster care donations.
As mentioned above, both in-kind and financial donations can sometimes cover, or at the very least, help offset the costs of basic needs such as clothing, shoes, backpacks, toys, and educational/supportive services so children remain comfortable and get the assistance they need to thrive and succeed in the long-term.
How Therapeutic Family Life Maximizes the Impact of Donations
While most charities donate the contributions they receive to the people they’re representing, a small minority who fails to do so oftentimes leaves people hesitant to donate to causes, even those that are close to their heart.
At Therapeutic Family Life, you can put concerns like this to rest, as we ensure that a local foster family receives your contribution. Your monthly donation helps provide clothing to children who come into their foster homes with little on their backs, school supplies, diapers, presents for birthdays and the holiday season, and so much more. Click here to learn more about working with us.
Types of Foster Care Donations
As briefly mentioned above, there are three main types of foster care donations you can make: financial contributions, in-kind donations, and volunteer time:
Financial Contributions
As mentioned above, financial contributions help fund extracurricular activities and educational programs, as well as practical items not limited to school supplies, hygiene products, and clothing. Regarding the types of programs and services these funds can contribute to, it’s quite a wide range. Funds are often used for counseling, transportation, and oftentimes, a necessary component to keeping foster children and their biological families connected.
That being said, there’s no limit as to where your financial contributions can go! For example, a $25 donation can help fund gift cards so foster families can purchase a present for their child’s birthday, graduation, or other holidays and milestones. This money can also be used to provide foster parents with diapers, formula, and other infant items, giving families peace of mind.
Larger foster care donations, on the other hand, can be used for annual holiday parties and events specifically put on to honor and celebrate foster families, letting them know their love and efforts are recognized.
In-Kind Donations
Though things like toys, clothes, diapers, and school supplies can also be funded by financial donations, they can also be donated directly to the foster care facility working with local foster families.
These types of non-cash gifts are called in-kind donations and they can be made both individually and as part of a group. In many cases, local companies will hold fundraisers where employees bring in toys to be donated to foster children in the area, furthering the sense of community that our great state is already known for.
In-kind donations typically include:
- Board games
- Books
- Craft supplies
- Clothing
- Toys
- Computers
- Furniture, including beds, desks, office chairs, and mattresses
- Diapers
- Baby supplies, including pacifiers, creams, and car seats
- Stuffed animals
- Shampoo/conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, and toothpaste
- and so much more!
The wonderful thing about in-kind donations is that they can cover items that will bring children comfort, such as stuffed animals, basic hygiene products to ensure they are being taken care of, and food to keep their bellies full. If you aren’t sure if the items you have are suitable as foster care donations, don’t be afraid to give us a call. We’ll let you know what we can and can’t accept.
Volunteer Time
When people think of donations, they don’t tend to overlook volunteering. However, it’s a donation of your time — and that’s one of the most valuable commodities you can share! As a volunteer, you will likely be involved in both mentorship and local community events. As a mentor, your role is to serve as a trusted friend to a foster child in the community, helping them to set and achieve their goals. Research shows that mentoring has an incredibly positive effect on foster children, helping reduce risky behaviors, increase self-esteem, and promote a sense of belonging.
As for community events, you will help make them a success! Community events vary, but they commonly include information sessions about adoption and foster care programs and appreciation banquets. From set-up to clean-up, you will be an incredible asset.
How to Get Involved and Make Foster Care Donations
If you’re eager to get involved, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to get started! First, you’re going to want to find a local foster care agency you’re interested in working with. If you’ve fostered already, chances are you’ll want to give back to the agency you worked with.
However, if you’re new to the fostering world, a simple Google search for “foster care agencies near me” will yield a plethora of results. From there, simply browse their website to learn more and if they seem like a good fit, check out how you can get involved.
Oftentimes, foster care agencies will run community drives and hold other fundraising events, as well, as promote local happenings within the community. For example, back in August 2024, Therapeutic Family Life shared the Back to School Party, put on by Our Community Our Kids and CASA of Tarrant County. This free-for-foster-families event is a prime example of how the foster care programs in the state of Texas work together to network within the community to give children in need the support they need.
If you’d rather hold your own fundraising event, you can do that, too! To get started, here are some helpful tips:
- Identify your fundraising goal: How much money would you ultimately like to donate? How long will the fundraiser last and who will collect donations?
- Find sponsors for your event: Fundraising not only serves those on the other end of the donations, but it also benefits local businesses. Go around and meet with local business owners to see if they’re open to sponsoring and helping you promote the event. Promotion of the event will get more people involved and drum up business! Talk about a win-win!
- Determine the type of fundraising event you want to hold: People want to have an experience, so determine what kind of event you should hold. Marathons, for example, are popular in Austin so you might consider hosting a 5K. Other ideas include bake sales, car washes, and toy drives.
- Promote on social media: In today’s modern world, social media is the best way to spread the word about your event! Make a dedicated Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook page for the event so you can post updates, get followers, and bring awareness to the importance of foster care donations and the industry as a whole.
These tips can help you get started on hosting your own charitable initiative and collecting foster care donations.
How to Donate to Therapeutic Family Life
Whether by donating your time, goods and services, or making a financial contribution, Therapeutic Family Life makes it easy to get started.
Upon visiting our website, click on Donate at the top. This will bring you to our donation page where you can learn more about us, what items we take, how donations are used, and how to get in contact with us. We take both checks and in-kind donations. However, if you have an in-kind donation such as toys, school supplies, or clothes, give us a call at 1-800-394-4939 so a member of our team can help you make arrangements.
At Therapeutic Family Life, every donation we receive helps fund our mission of positively impacting children, teens, and their foster families. Give us a call to learn more and get started.
You Have the Power to Make a Difference — Now’s the Time to Get Started! Contact Therapeutic Family Life Today And Let Your Foster Care Donations Contribute to a Brighter Tomorrow!
Whether it’s providing school supplies, clothing, or funds to support basic living, your donations can make a positive impact on foster families across Texas. At Therapeutic Family Life, we’re so proud to be able to help foster children and their families get the support and access to programs they need — and all of that is made possible by your contributions.
With so many types of foster care donations available, we’re here to help you discover the right fit. Contact us today to get started. Remember, even the smallest contribution can make the biggest impact in a deserving child’s life.
FAQs
What types of items are most needed for foster care donations?
Generally, clothing and basic hygiene products are typically the most in-demand items. Many children enter the foster care system with just the clothes on their backs. As such, shirts, hoodies, pants, socks, undergarments, and pajamas are much appreciated.
How can I make a financial donation to foster care programs?
The easiest way to make a financial donation to a foster care program is to search online for foster care agencies you’re interested in donating to. Every agency will have information about donations on their website, streamlining the process.
If you’d like to work with Therapeutic Family Life specifically, you can make checks out to:
Therapeutic Family Life Donations
3809 S. 2nd Street Suite C-400
Austin, TX 78704
When writing the check, please note that it’s for a donation in the memo. You will receive a tax-deductible charitable donation letter upon receipt.
