When we first became foster parents, Seth and I started a foster care clothing closet. We would just set aside clothing we got for our kids that they didn’t like, or that didn’t fit anymore. We figured it would make sense to hold onto all that clothing for future foster kids. We also got some donations from a few friends and family.
How clothing $ works from the agency
If you’re wondering how clothing works for foster parents, our agency, which is the county we live in, gives out clothing vouchers when kids first come into care. You’ll get a voucher for a hundred or two hundred dollars for Burlington Coat Factory, which is a discount clothing store. I like that the vouchers are for that store because you can get kids brand name stuff, and for the older ones it really matters if things are all from Walmart versus bearing a Nike logo. Their peers notice.
After that first voucher though, you’re on your own. They calculate a dollar or two into your check for each day the child is with you for clothing. It’s not nearly enough. Therefore having a clothing closet on hand is important.
It’s also important to have a clothing closet because kids often come with what’s on their backs and nothing else, and you need things for them ASAP, not 3 hours down the road when you can get them to Target. Having a variety of clothing (girly girl? Not girly at all?) for kids old enough to have an opinion about what they wear helps make them feel comfortable. And pjs at the very least are a must because kids often come late in the day after a court has had time to hear their case.
Our Monster Closet
Over time, our little closet grew and grew. We started swapping sizes with friends who were also foster parents. Oh, you need 3T? I’ve got 3T in abundance but I have no 18 months. Let’s swap!
It’s unreal how much clothing you can accumulate when you’ve had 14 kids through your home in 6 years. We always sent kids on to their next home with a fully stocked wardrobe, whether they were going to their next foster home if they were an emergency placement, or especially if they were going back to family. Sometimes I’d go out and get a wardrobe for a kid just to go home with if they were close to growing out of the size they were in and we didn’t have the next size on hand. Clothing is expensive and we want families to be successful with kids coming back home, we don’t want the kids to add any more than necessary to the family’s financial strain.
Anyway, we ultimately wound up with an entire wall of attic eave closets filled with kids’ clothing folded and organized into old diaper boxes labeled with size and season. How much clothing is that, you ask?
Well, I now know how much. Since we are not going to be taking long-term foster placements and are only going to be doing respite placements (respite kids come with their own clothing), we don’t need our clothing closet anymore. So on a whim I decided to tackle the damn thing to make some space in our attic.
It’s taken us 3 days so far and will take at least one more. It’s resulted in three massive loads of laundry, 7 boxes and a giant bag of clothing plus 4 boxes of shoes sold to our local Once Upon a Child, 17 boxes of clothing so far for donation to our church clothing closet, and two 45 gallon trash bags full to the brim. And once all that laundry gets processed a second time, I’m sure we’ll have more to donate and sell and trash.
Mystery of the day: why does baby clothing only show puke stains after it sits for a while? I hate those creeping yellow stains that ruin lovely clothing. Sigh. Anyway.
I’m being super picky about what’s going out to the church clothing closet. I’ve seen some of the stuff that gets donated, and while some of it is beautiful, some of it is pretty ratty too. My philosophy is that if I would not put my kid in it, I should not give it to some kid from a lower income family to wear. They deserve nice things. So if it’s pilled or stained or looking worn it’s not going on for more use – I figure it’s served its time. Even so, we still had 17 boxes so far for the church.
I can’t really venture into the attic to peruse the now open space because I’m still on crutches, which is a bummer. But I swear I heard the attic floor joists groan in relief when the 28th box got lifted out of the eave!
Other stuff
I’m not stopping with clothing, either. Our church also participates in an organization called RESTART that helps families transitioning to new residences out of domestic violence situations, lost their apartment to fire or condemnation, etc. In essence, it helps folks who are starting fresh and in need of basically all the stuff one needs to fill a house with necessities.
We also have in our attic two toddler beds, one toddler bed mattress, and a twin bed. We don’t need new permutations. We’ve got Sprout in the cutest little house bed, and Kiddo in a twin bed with a trundle. If we take respites they’ll be under 2 because that’s what we have room for now – a pack and play only. So three beds are leaving our attic and going to RESTART today.
Getting rid of stuff is SUCH A RELIEF. Hooray for more space! I want to be able to walk through my attic and use it! It’s also a joy to be able to give stuff to folks who need it. I don’t believe in altruism – frankly givers get a thrill, a little dopamine rush in return.
I’m enjoying my dopamine for today.
sprinklesonachaoscupcake.com 