Fosterful and Legions Realty recently teamed up to host a winter coat and shoe drive to ensure foster children have warm clothing this winter.
The drive will run until the second week of December.
Donna Weaver, a realtor for Legions, started the drive to help those in need.
“A few months ago, I saw another realtor in a different company that was doing a drive for Halloween costumes for the foster program and I have a couple clients that are with the foster program,” Weaver said. “I had donated a bunch of brand-new Halloween costumes, and then I talked to my client who had recently gotten onto the board with Fosterful, and I said ‘do you have anybody doing a toy drive this year? What do you guys need? I would like to do something myself for helping.’”
Once she learned the toy drive was covered, she was informed that coats and shoes were needed. She began her drive after Halloween and has so far only collected a few coats and shoes.
“Any time you do something like this, you hope for more community support, but sometimes early on you don’t see it and then things tend to come in at the end,” Weaver said. “I know that between now and the end, you have Black Friday and people may be waiting to pick things up when they’re out getting other items.”
Despite a slow start, Weaver is happy with the donations she has received so far and hopes to increase that number.
“I would like to see 20 coats, 20 shoes, 40 coats, 40 pairs of shoes, but at this point, anything we can get together is more than what we started with,” Weaver said.
This is the first year Fosterful and Legions Realty decided to host the drive. Fosterful, a nonprofit organization, is a community of qualified volunteers who partner with child welfare offices to provide a healthy environment for children who enter foster care.
“I’m hoping that with the blessing of the owner of Legions Realty, it can be something that we continue to do every year,” she said.
Weaver said they are trying to spread the word through social media. Inkability in Battle Ground also joined the effort by making posters.
Donations can be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at Legions Realty, 717 W. Main St., Unit 125, Battle Ground. To request a pick-up, contact Weaver at 520-241-8519 or email donna@le gionsrealty.com.
