Monday, August 25, 2014

Foster Children - BBQ Sales Help Foster Kids



National foster kid statistics reveal that there are 400,000 children in U.S. foster care. Colorado is reported to have 4,000 foster children. With hundreds of these kids waiting to be adopted, one couple decided to take matters into their own hands, one bottle of BBQ sauce at a time.


Alison and Andrew Wiltzius had adopted a little 22-month old boy who got the nickname "Bubba." The couple, who live in Windsor, Colorado, decided they could do more to help other foster youth waiting for adoption. So they create Bubba Shane BBQ.

Creating a new food product is no small feat. Yet this couple has succeeded in creating two varieties of the sauce. For now, the BBQ sauce is only sold online. The couple is working with local farmer's markets to get a wider distribution of the product.


During an interview with ABC Channel 7, Alison Wiltzius explained why they started this charitable venture.

"These [foster] kids deserve a taste of home. If you're not called to adoption, but you have a passion for this, everybody eats BBQ. So buy some BBQ sauce and help out."

Certainly having a news segment on ABC should help boost the product's profile. For each bottle sold, these foster parents will donate $1 to a local non-profit, Donate Colorado Kids, that helps with adoptions of foster kids.





Adoption is one of many resources available to help get children out of the foster care system. Other than returning a child to their family, experts agree that finding relatives of foster children is the best solution. Research on kids put in relative placement consistently shows that the children do better across the board not only while they are in school but also once they go out into the world on their own. However, in those cases when family members are unable or unwilling to take in a child relative, adoption is the next best solution.

Like the Wiltzius, we are also looking at ways to help more foster youth. We are in the planning stage of launching a crowdfunding project in the Fall. This will allow people to participate in changing these children's lives forever as we locate family members so more foster children can have a forever home.

Supporting our work will be a little easier than starting a BBQ sauce empire, just maybe not as tasty.

Regards,

Richard Villasana
  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

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