Local group opens foster care closet in Blackfoot

BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI) - There is a new resource for foster families in Southeast Idaho.

The Village, a foster care closet, hosted its grand opening on Friday at its new location at 35 E. Pacific Street in Blackfoot. The foster care closet is assisting foster families with basic essentials, such as clothing, backpacks and toys.

The Village Director Jacque Burt says Blackfoot was a nice central location to help out families across Southeast Idaho.

"We chose Blackfoot because it's kind of in the middle, and we wanted to be accessible as much as we could to the different regions," Burt said. "We were able to find a facility here, and this is a lovely one."

Foster children can come in and pick out what they want to help make their transition into foster care a little easier.

"On any given day, there are over 330 children in care, and we serve all of them," Burt said. "There's no closets in this area that I'm aware of. As soon as we opened our doors, our demand for help went up. People started calling us, and we've been filling orders like crazy."

The store is completely run by volunteers and donations from the community. Burt says some of the donations have been overwhelming.

"A lady in Idaho Falls did a drive with her daycare, and she told me she was coming," Burt said. "She came as we were wrapping up. I walked down, and there was a U-Haul truck at my front door. She opened it up and it was packed."

For Burt, The Village hopes to make life easier for both foster children and their families.

"Our kids struggle with self-esteem issues and things like that, because it's hard to be that kid, the one that's in foster care," Burt said. "If we can help ease that and ease that transition into foster care and provide for their needs, so that they can work on the relationship part of it and not need things, then we can do that."

For ways you can get involved with helping at The Village or to make a donation, you can contact Jacque Burt, Director of The Village at 208-569-6298. You can also find store hours and more information on The Village's Facebook page by searching, The Village-Southeast Idaho.