Mary Ann's Story
This organization was created by foster parents to help support other foster parents. When I began caring for my first foster child, she was 5 and came into care with toddler size clothing. When I began caring for my first infant, he was 5 months old and came into care with 0-3-month old clothing. The expectation is that the new caregiver will supply all the necessary items that the child needs immediately. I didn’t have one bottle in my house to feed the baby with, much less all the other baby necessities (stroller, high chair, car seat, etc.). In my first week I spent hundreds of dollars purchasing all the items I needed to care for this child. I knew there had to be a better way.
Our inspiration is my mother, Mary Ann. During her professional years she generally held positions that helped others. She worked as an AIDS educator at a time that AIDS was not openly spoken about; She worked in the local consumer fraud bureau; She spent many years teaching Sociology courses to men that were pursuing higher education while incarcerated. Upon retirement she became an award winning photographer. She would donate her photos to many organizations for their fundraising events. Her favorite retirement activity was knitting. She would spend her spare time knitting hats for little children. When it started to get cold out (she lived in upstate New York) she would take her large bag of hats to St. Patrick's Soup Kitchen so they could hand them out to the families with small children. She had a strong desire to make sure that the little ones were taken care of. Unfortunately she passed away before she could meet any of the children I have or had in my care. If she was still with us she would have been our biggest supporter.
In her honor I have created a way that everyone can support foster children and foster families in our community, Mary Ann's Closet. Please consider donating so we can bridge the gap financially in hopes of getting more people to foster. The need is great.
Thank you, Tracie