11/03/2026
Good morning FFAN friends.
Read this:
*****
"Imagine it is December 21st. Christmas is basically ready. Gifts are hidden in the closet, decorations are up, you still need a few things for Christmas dinner, and your family is headed to one last community parade. Then the phone rings, and none of that matters quite as much anymore.
A teenager arrives at your home straight from the hospital with only a backpack. They have been removed from the life they know, four days before Christmas. They have never even seen a Christmas tree in person. As a mom, my first thought isn't about finishing Christmas. It is: How do I make this child feel safe here? How do I help them understand that there is a place for them in this home, too? Organizations like Anthony’s Foster Family Assistance Network step into that gap. Their support means I don't have to choose between scrambling to create Christmas overnight and giving a child the attention, reassurance, and care they desperately need. And when Christmas morning comes, they aren't the one child watching everyone else open gifts that were thoughtfully chosen weeks and months ago. They get to be included, they get to be thought of, and I get to spend those first critical days focused less on what needs to go under the tree and more on showing them what love in action looks like. You read this like a story, but this is real life. This is why FFAN having funds for those last minute days matter more than you can imagine. No child who lost everything should go without Christmas."
Foster parent
*****
This is not a unique story. This is what happens, every, single, year. Last year, out of the 642 kiddos we were able to help during the holidays, 150+ came to us after November 15th. We have delivered gifts on Christmas day, Christmas Eve, and honestly a day or two after Christmas for some placements that come over the holidays.
That is a lot of kiddos that can't be assigned out.
Our program has groups that are amazing... They take lists from us early in the season, then they use their networks to fill those lists and get them back to us.
But for those kiddos that come after the lists are assigned out, FFAN has to purchase those on our own. Logistics, time, and need all become very intense after the 15th of November.
With that said, I have created a link and campaign landing that will allow you to contribute to those last minute funds for our kiddos who need Christmas. Please utilize the options in the link to support our efforts this Christmas.
Help make the holidays something special for kiddos in our community...
Anthony Poteet
We have provided wish lists during the holidays to over 2,000 kiddos... Come be a part of our Holiday Drive!
