Care Portal, a part of the Global Orphan Project, deals specifically with foster children and their families. Our involvement began late last summer when a group was created to help foster families in Volusia County, and more specifically, in the area close to the church. Care Portal works with case workers who identify needs of families, and then puts those needs out to local groups who are part of the Care Portal Network. Groups see the needs, respond if they are able to help in part or in full, then meets the needs by getting the items to the families.
The project was just getting started in this area last fall and the first requests that came through were snapped up by other churches. But then in January, a request came in that I thought we could help with. An aunt had taken in three nieces and needed furniture. Salt Life, in Putnam County, agreed to fund her needs, but needed a local church to act as point of contact. I said FPC would be happy to do that. I contacted the aunt and she told me she had already spoken to someone about beds, but still needed a dining room table and chairs that would accommodate the family. I reached out to a friend who runs the non-profit group Clutter for College, which raises money for college scholarships for Volusia County kids. People donate furniture, household items, etc, which he then sells and uses the money for scholarships. I asked Mike if he had any dining room tables and he did. So, I went to his storefront, as well as to Hospice and Habitat resale stores, and took pictures of dining room tables and chairs. I sent the pictures to the aunt, and she chose one Mike had at Clutter for College. Mike delivered it to the woman’s home. Jim and Lynn Willits and I met him there, and we were able to see the table delivered into her apartment and her very grateful appreciation for the help we provided. Here is a picture of the table and a couple of the chairs
The second project we took on was helping a woman who had taken in her 10 year old nephew. He was sharing a bed with his 13 year old female cousin, and the case worker told her the kids needed separate beds. Because of the size of the room, she requested bunk beds, mattresses, and sheets. Bunk beds are a little harder to find at a thrift store, but everything is available from Amazon. Using money from our mission budget, I ordered everything and had it delivered. The woman had a friend who likes putting furniture together, so it worked out great. A couple of days after it was delivered, Susan Coleman and I went to meet with the mother and make sure that everything had worked out as well as we had hoped. The beds were sturdy (and can come apart into 2 beds if space opens up), the mattresses were comfortable and the sheets soft. The mother said the kids were elated when they saw them.
It has been such a blessing to me to see how our church is able to positively affect families through relatively small ways. I’m pretty sure that at this point, I’ve gotten as much from it as the families have. I can’t wait to see what opportunity presents itself next through Care Portal.
If you’d like to help, there are a couple of things you can do.
- You can pray for this mission and the families it supports.
- You can make a special donation to the church and label it Care Portal. That will allow us to help more families.
- If you would like to be notified when a need comes in, let me know and I can forward the request to you. Maybe you’ll have just what the family needs.
- And – I’m saving the best for last – if you want to help find and deliver items to families, let me know. I’ll be happy to put you on the team.
Thank you for always being such a loving and generous church family,
Martha Ash
Beach Street Church - FPC Daytona 