Discover the local Foster Care organizations in your area. Connect with them and see what the needs are. Report what you learn to your youth group and see what action your group could take as a result of what you learn.

Recruit a few friends to help you “Adopt” 1 Foster Family in your church or community for the next 12 months. Get to know the family, ask them how you can be a blessing to them. Find a way to serve them each month.

Work with the leadership at your church to organize a Foster Parent date night for the Foster Families in your area. Put together a program and plan child care activities, games, crafts, etc. for the kids to do while the Foster Parents are out. 

Create a benefit event (Concert, 5k, Art Exhibit/Auction, etc.) and give the funds to one of the organizations in your area.

For the next 90 days, make a list of families in your community who are involved with Foster Care. Pray specifically for each family throughout the 90 days. (Ask families each week how you can pray for them)

Or, follow along with the Foster Care Prayer Guide

Jonathan Edwards wrote, “There is no way that Christians, in a private capacity, can do so much to promote the works of God and advance the kingdom of God as by prayer.” The Foster Care Prayer Guide equips you with prayer requests do just that on behalf of kids and families in your community.

Organize a “Freezer Meal Party” for Foster Families. Make ready-made meals for them that they can keep in the freezer until they need it. Have fun with this, see how many meals you can make for as many families as possible.

Spend the next 90 days praying for Social Workers in your area. During those 90 days, visit places where Social Workers work and find out specific ways in which you can pray.

Organize your church’s involvement in Stand Sunday on November 10. Be an advocate for those in care. For more information and resources, visit www.standsunday.org.

Put together a team of a few friends to research how to get involved in Foster Care. (You don’t have to be a Foster Parent to be involved!) Create a presentation/mini event that highlights the need to get involved in Foster Care.

Figure out a way to get as many foster families together as possible and spend at least an hour asking them questions and getting to know them. Find out their needs, fears, hopes, and how you can be a part of helping them love those under their care.

Research 5 trusted organizations on CAFO’s website (https://cafo.org/).  Try to find ones near you or in your area. Visit those organizations if possible and ask how you can pray for them. Look for at least one tangible way to bless each organization, including making a donation.

Put together Care Packages for social workers in your community. Make it a goal to reach at least 50 of them.

Find a Foster Family in your church or community and ask how you can help make fostering easier for them.  Even if they don’t tell you, choose some practical way to serve.  Maybe you could mow their lawn, wash their cars, clean the house once a week or month, grocery shop for them, offer tutoring, rides or lessons for something you’re good at to their children – there are so many possibilities! While you’re serving, pray for them.

Once a week for the next 6 weeks, look through the children needing a home on your local Foster Care website or your state’s heart gallery. Spend time praying for each child by name, asking the Lord to provide for them.

Organize a “Life in Limbo” event at your church. Talk to your leadership and see how it might be accomplished. A good idea might be to coordinate it with Stand Sunday on November 10…or another time that fits with your church.

fgi4kids.org/ideas

Organize three different drives throughout the year where people can bring new items to your church. Do one for “Back to School,” “Christmas,” and “Spring” drive where people bring in items. You can set up a store or put together care packages with the items to give to Foster Families.

Connect with a foster family and write each individual in the household a letter once a month for an entire year. Make sure they are known, loved, and appreciated. 

Organize a service day for Foster Families and their automobiles. Wash, wax and detail cars. Do routine maintenance like: change the oil, wiper blades, etc. This can be one large event, or a recurring event. It can happen in one place, or you can send teams around the area to meet them at their homes.

Connect with a family involved in foster care and find out what the foster child likes to do. Plan a day of fun around that activity. Raise the funds needed for all the family members to participate in the day and be the Funday tour guide!

Starting the second Sunday in November (Orphan Sunday & Stand Sunday) create a social awareness about foster care in America. Post a fact about the foster care system once a day for an entire month. 

Make it a standing commitment to babysit once a month or more! 

Connect with local leaders and government officials and research what is being done on a legal level for Kids in Care. Pray for these community leaders for 90 days after you meet!

Connect with your Church leadership and 1) if there is not a foster care ministry in your church. Start one. Or if there already is 2) give up an afternoon a week for the next six months to help that leader in the church with the ministry.

Utilize the resources of CAFO’s National Church Ministry Initiative to help you get started: cafo.org/church

Show up to school 30 minutes earlier than you would normally show up once a week and pray for the fellow students in care that you know and the ones that you do not know. Try to get a goal of invited 20 people to do this with you.

What is  one luxury you can forego for one month? (Starbucks, movies, candy, soda, etc.) Whatever money is saved on that item, donate to a CAFO member of your choice.