NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. Postage
PAID
Bourbon IN Berne, IN 46711 PermitNo. #29 Permit 43
P.O. Box 544 Winona Lake, IN 46590 Change Service Requested
“D ROOM AT THE TABLE by Carolina Keegan
id you see her smile?” Andrew Simkins, a volunteer at the Room at the Table, asked as Stacy Engle’s foster daughter picked out items. Together, they filled multiple bags with a wide variety of articles.
Room at the Table is a ministry for foster and adoptive families in Kosciusko County, Ind. (or those fostering children from the county). Similar to a traditional clothes closet ministry, it offers children’s clothing, diapers, wipes, toys, and other items at no charge. The only limitations set on items are for diapers and pull-ups: families can get only one large package or two small packages per child. “Foster care is my passion,” said Janice Workman describing her nearly 30 years of caring for children. While not everyone is called to foster, she said, “everybody is able to do something.” When families receive a phone call to welcome a child into their home, things move quickly and often the young person is in their home within a few hours. Janice found it difficult to find things she needed on short notice. As a result, in July 2019, she, Joye Andrew, and Jennifer Hotchkins spearheaded the development of Room at the Table at the Winona Lake, Ind., Grace Brethren Church (Kip Cone, lead pastor). “I love that there’s this resource for foster families,” said Engle. “We did not have anything for a little boy when he was placed with us,” she said. She was able to get a swing, a playmat, and diapers from the closet for the boy. Room at the Table saved them from the expenses of those things.
While not everyone is called to foster, everybody is able to do something.
COVID-19 did not shut them down, Janice said. People were not allowed into the closet for several months during the pandemic; however, families could email needs and pick up items outside. They also did not accept any gently used clothing for several months. The closet opened back up in the fall of 2020 and is now running at full capacity. While hosted by the Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, Room at the Table is part of a local coalition of churches that are involved in supporting different aspects of foster care. One church cleaned and repaired several bicycles that were given out. Another congregation gave $1,000 to purchase needed items, while yet another partnered with a food bank to provide a huge supply of over-the-counter medications. It is a “good picture of the body of Christ,” Janice said. A longer version of this story appeared in the GraceConnect eNews, the free e-newsletter that shares what God is doing in the Charis Fellowship. To subscribe, go to graceconnect.us/subscribe.
GRACE CONNECT • 574-268-1122 • graceconnect.us
