‘National Foster Care Month’: Foster families needed in Cenla

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Nearly 4,000 children in Louisiana are in the foster care system and 350 of those children are in the Alexandria region.

Fostering Community is a non-profit in Alexandria that is often the first stop for children entering foster care.

“Their foster families will come here with them, or their caseworker, and they’ll be able to get first night supplies. And they’ll get clothing, school uniforms, toys, anything that they need as they’re entering care. And they’ll also get sent with a freezer meal to spend that first night bonding with their family instead of worrying about having to cook,” said Andria Fontenot, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Fostering Community.

Fontenot said that Rapides Parish has the highest count of child abuse and neglect cases, which leads to a high number of children entering the foster care system.

With May being National Foster Care month, Fostering Community encourages anyone who is considering becoming a foster parent to take that first step. Along with addressing the continued and desperate need for more foster families.

“We envision a community where there’s always enough; where there is always someone that DCFS can call whenever they have children entering care. And so, what we really need is people from the community to step up and become involved and change the life of a child.”

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