KENT COUNTY, Michigan — Every year, the Kent County office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) hosts a toy drive for children entering foster care during the holiday season in the county.
Kent County MDHHS tells us that when children are placed with relatives or foster parents, they often only bring a single bag of clothes and basic belongings with them when they are placed in a home. The new caregivers also have a very short amount of notice that a child is being placed in their home.
"When kids are coming into care during the holidays, there's usually not a lot of advance notice. We've been working with the families trying to keep the kids safe in the home, but something has happened, and we need to move those kids, and that usually happens pretty fast, so we always look for a relative or a close family friend first, if they're not available, then we would look at a licensed foster home," explained Wendy Wheeler, a Children's Services Program Manager at the Kent County Department of Health and Human Services.
Because of the timing, relatives and foster families are often not fully prepared to provide gifts and other odds and ends for the children during the holiday season.
"What we try and do is make sure that we have some items available that we can send with the kids when they're going to their new home, and then that way, the new caregiver doesn't have to worry about going out and trying to find a present or collecting something for that child at the very last minute," Wheeler said.
The gift drive lets people in the community help relatives and foster families provide a happy holiday season for these children who could use some extra cheer. Kent County MDHHS takes the donations and makes holiday packs of toys and other essentials to give to relatives and foster families for the kids during the holidays.
It is very easy to donate, either purchase toys or other everyday items like socks, coats, hats, gloves, hygiene products, or other essentials and drop them off at the Kent County MDHHS office, or just purchase items off the DHHS's Amazon Holiday Wish List to be delivered directly to the offices.
"The easiest way is to go to the Amazon wish list. We've got a list of gift Ideas for kids, from newborn babies to teenagers. You can sort the list by price, and items start at under $3 once you make your purchase, they get delivered directly to our office, and we have those available whenever we need them," said Wheeler.
Items should be new and unwrapped. Gift cards for teens are also very much appreciated.
The Kent County MDHHS offices are located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Street SE Suite #200 in Grand Rapids. The hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Please contact Wendy Wheeler, Child Welfare Program Manager at wheelerw@michigan.gov with any questions.
The drive was originally created by Connie Kelly, an adopted child herself and a morning radio personality on Grand Rapids' MIX 95.7 who passed away from cancer in 2021.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a licensed foster parent, please visit Hope For A Home.
