Potluck for Foster Kids

Each year, there is a shortage of holiday gifts for teenagers in the foster care system. We have partnered with the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Community Services to provide these children with gift cards worth $25. With each gift card, we have an opportunity to give a note, a card, a letter...something worth reading if you are a foster child during the holidays.

Many years ago while still in school, I had a writing assignment that forever changed me.

My peers and I were asked to write “something worth reading” to someone we had no relationship with and knew nothing about, not even a name. Some of us wrote exhortations. Others wrote poetry. The most beautiful ones were love letters, not necessarily romantic in nature, but love letters nonetheless. These letters were powerful and moving because they were able to draw so much from our common humanity, even if the writers knew nothing of their readers.

So, we are soliciting gift cards and ideas...written pieces, words that tell someone that we care, that there are people who are loving them from a distance, anything you have to offer that will help us send “something worth reading” along with each gift card. The only knowledge we have of these children is that they are teenagers whose caseworkers have requested gift cards for them this holiday season.

Since we have more foster kids than usual this year and it will take time to brainstorm and handwrite in each card, consider jotting down in advance some kind words that you’ll plan to write. It may be helpful to have some ideas for both boys and girls who maybe be older or younger than 10 years old. Remember, short and sweet is okay! It could be as simple as one of your favorite quotes.

Join us for a potluck dinner where we will handwrite letters to go with the $25 gift cards.

How to participate:

1. Go to the sign-up sheet link below and sign-up to buy gift cards for one or more foster kids.
2. Buy $25 gift cards according to the sign-up sheet (gift cards from Target, Pick n Save or your favorite place).
3. Bring gift cards to the potluck.
4. Come with and open heart to write a note to go with your card.

Sign-up sheet (you have to copy the link):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CEzC2izl0QLzrakab8KB_cXj75gn7V5eaICLalrplTE/edit?usp=sharing