Foster Friends is pleased to announce that the organization has been awarded a grant from FNBO to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to the local foster care community in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The grant will be used to purchase masks, hand sanitizer, and any equipment necessary to otherwise guard the health and safety of children in Collin County foster care, their caregivers, and the social workers who protect them during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Unlike many children, who may be able to hunker down at home during a pandemic, children in foster care often have appointments and visits that cannot be cancelled or delayed.  Oftentimes, children in substitute care have regular meetings with attorneys, social workers, biological family members, therapists, and other professionals, potentially exposing them to more contacts outside of their immediate households compared with other children.  They may even change households one or more times during the pandemic.  Given that they may be at increased risk of exposure, it’s especially critical to ensure that these children—and their networks—have access to personal protective equipment.

In addition to working with local sources to secure hand sanitizer for Collin County Child Protective Services, Foster Friends has begun to deploy the FNBO PPE grant by ordering the local production of pleated, cloth masks in a number of child-friendly sizes and prints.  “We wanted to make sure the masks would be comfortable and fun for the kids,” says board member, Renee Carlson.  “The masks in production include princess, dinosaur, sports, and other themes that we hope the kids are going to love.”

The masks will be provided to Collin County Child Protective Services and the Children’s Advocacy Center for distribution to children in foster care.

FNBO awarded grants to organizations addressing short-term housing needs present due to the pandemic and has previously been a proud sponsor of Collin County’s National Adoption Day.