We are excited to welcome back the BigHouse and East Alabama FoodBank Partnership for Foster Families. The partnership will have a few changes this time that we hope will benefit our families and make this program easier to navigate for your family!
What is this? This is a partnership between BigHouse and EAFB to provide food services for current foster families.
Who is eligible? Any currently licensed foster family with a Lee County foster placement. The family does not have to reside in Lee County, but the children in their home must be placed through Lee County DHR, per EAFB requirements.
What does it provide? A monthly food box for each child in Lee County foster care in your home, up to 100 lbs of food per child. This box will be a variety of items based on the eligible items for ordering each month. Families can select preferences each month to help us know what interests them. While there is no guarantee of what exact items will be included in each box, BigHouse staff will do our best to create boxes with a good selection of items for each family. Boxes may include non-perishables, snacks, baked goods, produce, and even frozen and refrigerated items*.
How much does it cost? Each food box costs $10, and each family is eligible for 1 box for every Lee County placement in their home. Families can order 1 or more boxes based on their preference and the number of eligible children in their home.
How do you pick up? Families can choose to pick up their boxes from BigHouse OR can ask for boxes to be delivered (must reside within Lee County.) Pick up/Delivery will be the last Tuesday of every month, anytime between 3-5PM. If requesting delivery, please keep that in mind when opting in for frozen or refrigerated items*.
How do you order? To place an order for a food box, click the link (provided through our monthly newsletter, our food box reminder email and posted on our facebook group) and register your family. The link will include a place to pay for your box online. Families must include the full name and age of the child in foster care in their home. Lee County DHR then provides us with a list to verify the status of each child per EAFB requirements. Order forms will have a firm deadline each month.
*Important note about frozen or refrigerated items- each month families will fill out their order form to register for foodbank. When doing so, families can request NO frozen or refrigerated items if they will not be home to accept the delivery and store the items appropriately.
*Important note: we have currently paused our Food Box program while we are in the process of moving into the BigHouse Retreat. We will notify families when we will resume our Food Box program.