There is a new closet opening in January on Cleveland’s west side.
It is for kids who don’t have a closet of their own, and the organizers say it’s Cleveland’s first foster care closet.
The closet is called Honey From the Rock - The Cleveland Foster Care Closet.
News 5 Anchor Katie Ussin visited their location at 2233 W 110th Street. She asked Kathy DiVincenzo, the founder, about the nonprofit’s unique name.
“It has biblical roots,” she said. “It basically talks about the fact that good can come from very seemingly not-so-great-situations.”
DiVincenzo has two biological children and a one-year-old foster son but said the only label that matters is mom.
“That’s just the label we use for ourselves,” DiVincenzo said about herself and best friend and fellow foster mom, Taylor Thorpe.
Thorpe is vice president of the nonprofit.
She has fostered 15 children over six years and is now about to adopt three little girls who are sisters.
“I started at 23,” said Thorpe about fostering. “I was a single woman in college and the Lord said foster and I said, ‘OK,’ and it’s been one of the best decisions of my life.”
DiVincenzo said she also felt called to foster.
“Every child deserves a loving home,” said DiVincenzo.
They tell me fostering has not only expanded their hearts and homes but also opened their eyes to the needs of foster families, which is why they’re opening the foster care closet.
“I think the biggest thing for me is I want to bring dignity to this experience,” she said. “I want to bring a sense of these children are coming in and they’re shopping.”
The goal of the closet is to provide quality items for children of all ages who are experiencing foster care and for recently reunified families.
They can come in and pick out clothing items, shoes, coats, diapers and wipes, baby gates and gear, toys and books, and more. Whatever they need to help them meet the needs of the children who sometimes are placed with just a few hour’s notice.
DiVincenzo said older children will also be able to come in and pick out their stuff.
“I want to bring dignity to this experience,” she said. “I want to bring a sense of these children are coming in and they’re shopping.
According to the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, the total number of children in care statewide is close to 15,000. Cuyahoga County has the most children, with more than 2,200.
The need for more foster families is desperate.
“Families are already reaching out to us,” said Thorpe.
Honey From the Rock doesn’t open until January but is already making a difference.
Jessica Schanz was the first one to visit the closet in person. She said she heard about them on Facebook and reached out to DiVincenzo.
She and her husband have fostered a little boy who is 20 months old since he was three weeks old. She said he needed a winter coat.
“This is so exciting,” said Schanz, receiving a little puffy, blue coat. “I can’t wait to see him in it!”
She said she’s so grateful for this support and knows how much it means to the foster community.
Schanz said fostering isn’t easy but has been rewarding for her and her husband.
“I can’t have kids myself,” she said. “This has given me the chance to be a mom, even if it’s for a little one who’s going to go in a couple days or a couple weeks. It’s been nice to give that love that I’ve needed to give to a child.”
DiVincenzo’s 11-year-old daughter was at the closet helping organize donations ahead of a big event this weekend when the public can help fill the racks.
“I think the beauty of bringing biological children into the fold of this is that you’re really living the gospel in your living room,” said DiVincenzo. “There’s no better way to show them a servant’s heart than showing them a servant’s heart.”
The ‘Fill the Closet Donation Drive Day’ is Saturday, December 7, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. DiVincenzo said it’s a great way to show love for these families and children.
“I think bringing yourself face-to-face with these children and the brokenness that was never intended for them is something that changes you forever,” DiVincenzo said. “I think not all of us are called to be foster parents, but each of us is called to foster care in some way.”
She said her prayer for Honey From the Rock - the Cleveland Foster Care Closet, is for it to grow and be a place where the community can wrap its arms around foster children and families through donations.
“Maybe they’re clearing out of the closet for their child or that they want to pick up an extra pack of diapers with their Target pickup order,” she said. “That they can have a small yes in this greater yes that we’ve all committed to for these children.”
They take all kinds of baby and children’s clothing and gear that’s both new and gently used.
They could also use hangers and bins.
