Page 7 - 2025 Samaritas Winter Our Hands

KICKING THE COFFEE

HABIT – TOGETHER

Not every foster story starts with bedtime routines — sometimes it starts with a morning cup of coffee.
Jessica turned a caffeine habit into connection and trust. You can make a difference too.
Start your foster parent journey today at Samaritas.org/fostercare

Jessica was ready for the independent twelve-year-old foster kid. As a veteran foster parent Jessica
was ready for anything a strong-willed kid could throw at her. However, Jessica was surprised when
she learned that the pre-teen was in love with coffee.

The foster mom of seven years empathized with her foster child’s penchant for coffee and in a way
felt that Lola was justified in needing a ‘cup of joe’ in the morning given her responsibilities as big
sister to a toddler. As a foster kid Jessica, surmised that Lola had spent a lot of time around
doctors’ offices where free coffee was a little nutritional boost that she could freely access.

Jessica explained, “Lola had essentially been raising her little sister. And, in her mind she had
been a mom. So, it made sense that she wanted her coffee in the morning. It was a little weird at
first. I initially wanted to be like, ‘no, you can’t have that’ and cut her off cold turkey style, but I
thought a gentler approach was needed. because I was trying to also build trust and a connection
with this child.”

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Resources and support for busy families.
The M.O.M.S. Club of Grand Rapids
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Honoring Black Excellence at Juneteenth We recently teamed up with this local group to
host the ‘Parent Cafe’ at our Samaritas Union
Samaritas proudly supported the “Sistas office in Grand Rapids. Their parenting support
in Development's ‘On the Block’ Black groups are a great resource for foster parents.
Family Reunion” Juneteenth Celebration.
It was an inspiring gathering honoring the
strength of community.
Foster care representatives were grateful
for the chance to connect with families,
celebrate Black excellence, and spread
the word about Samaritas’ family
preservation and foster care services.