Our Purpose and History Overview

In 2010, Hand in Hand was born from a group of foster parents, social workers and child advocates seeking to make positive, systemic changes in how children enter and are cared for in the foster system.  

Today, Hand in Hand supports children and families in crisis through the foundational Christian teachings of respect, unconditional love, and compassion. We exist to foster hope and opportunity for children and families in crisis by providing services focused on protection, provision and permanence. This is our purpose. 

Our purpose manifests every day in so many ways. We are currently renovating a new Hand in Hand Safe Place shelter for children. The new shelter is a freestanding home that will provide not only emergency 72-hour shelter, but eventually up to 30-day extended care for children awaiting a more permanent environment. 

Our purpose can be seen in every emergency food box we distribute, in each hour of after school academic support we provide, in every soccer game played, and every utility bill we cover so a family can stay in their home. 

It can be found in our expanded Foster Support Services created to increase our reach into the foster network. 

And our purpose can be found in the staff, donors, volunteers, community partners and board members who carry this compassion and commitment with them every day.

Through Hand in Hand Safe Place, our Outreach Program and our newly developed Foster Support Services, we provide extensive resources and refuge to all children and families in need throughout our community.

In the past nine years, we have supported thousands of children and families through our programs:

• 796 children given shelter at Hand in Hand Safe Place
• 396 students enrolled in School Outreach
• 4,244 people received clothing
• 4,175 people benefitted from emergency food boxes
• 753 people received rental/utility assistance
• 700 children participated in Soccer Outreach