Over a decade ago, the Lord began stirring in our hearts a dream to serve the foster care community. As we served in various capacities - respite care providers, foster parents, advocates for bio families & reunifying families, lay leaders in our churches, pioneers in building up community support - we quickly realized that every child, family, parent, and caseworker navigating foster care is overcoming unimaginable challenges and has needs that are often unmet. We began to envision a community that would intentionally love children experiencing deep trauma and fear of the unknown, support families struggling to hold everything together, encourage burned-out caregivers navigating a complicated system, and care for overworked caseworkers carrying heavy burdens.

 

From that vision, The Bridge was born: a ministry dedicated to bringing hope into the overwhelming brokenness of the child welfare system. Our desire is to provide a steady presence of peace, hope, and clarity by sharing the love of Jesus and meeting tangible needs as families walk through crisis and chaos.

 

Lovingly referred to by friends as a “garage ministry,” The Bridge has quietly served families behind the scenes for the past 10 years. From storing furniture in our homes to coordinating porch pick-ups and drop-offs of new or gently used items ready for a second life, hundreds of families have been impacted through the generosity of people in our community — individuals simply doing what they can, with what they have, and loving others like Jesus along the way.

 

Time and time again, we’ve had a front-row seat as our community has rallied together to serve vulnerable children and families. Yet the needs remain great, and there are still gaps waiting to be filled. The heart behind The Bridge is to connect those gaps by mobilizing people to use their unique gifts and resources to serve others, while igniting hope through the love and relationship of Jesus Christ.