Supporting Foster Families Starts with Showing Up: Ashley and Sarah's Love Box® Story

When Ashley first considered becoming a foster parent, she wasn't chasing a picture-perfect experience.

As a high school student, she learned about the lifelong impact one caring adult can have in a child's life, and that lesson stayed with her. Years later, after watching friends open their homes to children experiencing foster care and earning her master's degree in a child-focused field, she knew the timing was right to become a foster parent herself.

She understood that fostering would be joyful, heartbreaking, beautiful, and unpredictable.

She said yes anyway.

"What keeps me going is knowing the love and care I give these kids matters," Ashley shares. "There are so many things in foster care that I can't control, but I know they were loved and cared for in my home. That makes a difference."

Like many foster parents, Ashley quickly discovered that while she was never alone in her commitment, the day-to-day realities of caring for children who have experienced trauma can be demanding. Foster families thrive when they have a community walking beside them.

That's exactly what Atlanta Angels' Love Box® program was created to do.

What Is Love Box®?

Love Box® is Atlanta Angels' intentional support program that pairs foster families with dedicated volunteers who commit to walking alongside them through consistent, practical, and relational support.

Rather than offering one-time acts of kindness, Love Box® creates lasting relationships.

Volunteers become trusted members of a family's support system by showing up month after month, helping lighten everyday responsibilities while reminding foster parents and children that they are not navigating foster care alone.

For Ashley, that support came in the form of Sarah.

A Partnership Built on Trust

When Ashley was matched with Love Box® volunteer Sarah in August 2024, she wasn't sure exactly what to expect.

She didn't have to wait long to find out.

During their very first visit, Sarah and Atlanta Angels' Program Coordinator sat on the floor playing alongside the children, meeting them with warmth, curiosity, and genuine presence.

"From that moment," Ashley remembers, "I knew it would be a good fit."

Sometimes showing up for Ashley looks like a walk in the park with the boys so she can stay home or run errands.

What followed became far more than volunteer service.

It became friendship.

It became trust.

It became partnership.

The Power of Consistency

Every week, Sarah steps into Ashley's world with quiet consistency.

Sometimes that looks like taking the boys to the park.

Sometimes it's helping with grocery runs, sharing dinner around the table, picking up a child after a difficult day, or simply sitting on the floor immersed in imaginative play.

None of those moments seem extraordinary on their own.

Together, they become life giving.

"Having that same stable person the kids can count on matters," Ashley says. "They're always so excited to see her. I know there's someone I can trust completely with them. Someone who knows their stories, has their best interests at heart, and gives me the opportunity to recharge so I can continue showing up well for them."

For children experiencing foster care, consistency matters.

Knowing that someone will come back next Wednesday, remember their favorite game, ask about school, or simply spend time together builds trust in ways that words alone cannot.

More Than Practical Support

Sarah's impact reaches far beyond errands or childcare.

She has become a trusted friend who understands the unique joys and challenges of foster care without Ashley needing to explain every detail.

After difficult court hearings or emotionally exhausting days, Ashley knows she can call someone who simply understands.

That kind of support strengthens more than one caregiver.

It strengthens an entire family.

Just as importantly, it models something every child deserves to experience: a community of safe, dependable adults who continue choosing them again and again.

Even children who have since transitioned from Ashley's home still ask about Sarah, remembering Wednesday afternoons spent exploring parks, visiting the library, sharing dinner, and laughing together.

Relationships like these leave lasting impressions.

How You Can Support Foster Families

One of the biggest misconceptions about foster care is that the only way to make a difference is by becoming a foster parent.

Ashley hopes her story shows otherwise.

"It doesn't have to be much to make a big impact," she says. "Babysitting, spending time together, showing up once a month—even small things matter. When you're a dependable person, it changes everything."

Not everyone is called to foster.

But everyone can help ensure foster families don't walk alone.

Through Love Box®, volunteers provide practical help, emotional encouragement, and consistent friendship that strengthens caregivers and creates greater stability for children experiencing foster care.

When foster parents are supported, children benefit.

Families become more resilient.

Communities become stronger.

Could You Be Someone's Sarah?

Sarah didn't change Ashley's story by doing something extraordinary.

She changed it by doing something remarkably consistent.

She showed up.

Week after week.

Month after month.

And because she did, Ashley had someone to lean on, the children in her home gained another trusted adult, and an entire family experienced the kind of community every foster family deserves.

That's the heart of Love Box®.

One family.

One volunteer.

One consistent relationship at a time.

If you've been looking for a meaningful way to support children experiencing foster care, becoming a Love Box® volunteer is one of the most impactful ways to make a lasting difference.

Because sometimes the greatest gift we can offer isn't having all the answers.

It's simply showing up.