A local non-profit is providing free essentials for foster parents and kids in foster care.

The Villages of Indiana offers free clothes, school supplies, toiletries and other items at their Villages shop.

When a child is placed in foster care, it can happen with little to no notice to prepare. That can put a stressful financial burden on the families. This is meant to help relieve that.

“It’s very important. When my kids come in here, they usually get like a duffle bag you know, and they get whatever they need,” said foster parent Mary Sizemore. She currently has four foster kids, and they are all teenagers.

“A lot of people don’t really want to deal with the teenagers. They think that the teenagers are going to come in and cause problems, but I’ve had really good success stories with our teenagers.”

Source: Non-profit provides resources for foster kids, including often overlooked teens