Least of These Carolinas began in March of 2013 with the intent to take care of children in foster care. This was birthed in the hearts of two foster moms that just wanted to do more for the children that have been forgotten in today’s society. The founders soon discovered that there was a lot to do! The government cannot take care of the needs of these children; yes they can provide shelter and a “safe place” but they cannot give these children what has been ripped away from them in a moment’s notice.  The goal of Least of These Carolinas is to begin to restore hope to these children. Our mission has and always will center around the children and our programs reflect that. We currently have the following programs:

Bag of Hope Program – Children in foster care usually come to a foster home with a trash bag of their belongings, sadly some children do not even come with that. At LOTCarolinas we provide these children with a nice duffle bag with their first name monogrammed on the bag and the bag full of items that the caregiver has requested. These bags are done specifically for that child in mind, none of our bags are pre-assembled. A special note of encouragement is added and always an item of comfort, ie, blanket, stuffed animal. To date we have given out almost 600 bags of hope. Just Like You Program – Youth in foster care have the same wants and desires as children that are not in care. They want to fit in, to do what other kids are doing. These children need to excel in other areas such as academics, athletics or other extra-curricular activities. That is what Just Like You is all about! We provide funding for computers for school, athletic camps or music lessons. The dropout rate for children in foster care is high; by giving them a reason to stay in school and be involved they are given hope. We track these children closely to ensure that their grades are kept up and that the incentive of our program is helping them excel. The Bridge Camp – Once a year we provide a camp just for children in foster care. This is a time to take off their mask and share their stories, to be encouraged by other foster youth that have made it and to just have FUN. Many of these children have never experienced camp.  We pull out all the bells and whistles so that they know that they are special and that there are loving and caring adults in this world. May, 2016 was our first camp and we served children from 13 different counties in NC. Foster Parent Recruitment – In every county in NC it is the same, not enough foster parents. LOTCarolinas can have the best programs in the world to offer these children, but if these children don’t have a safe and loving home we have not met their needs. LOTCarolinas to date has recruited almost 25 families in the Gaston/Catawba area and because of those recruitment efforts have seen 8-10 children find their forever home. Life Boxes – Youth graduating from high school or aging out of foster care are many times the youth that are forgotten the most. At LOTCarolinas we do not want them slipping through the cracks, so we provide them with a “Life Box”. A life box is specially made for that youth for their next step in life, whether it be college or entering the work force; we want them to succeed. These boxes are filled with items such as: cookware, towels, laundry detergent, sheets, pillows, etc. 12 Hours of Christmas – LOTCarolinas realizes that Christmas can be hard for children in foster care, especially those in kinship care or the children that have just been reunited with their families. We want these children to have something under the tree on Christmas, so we created 12 Hours of Christmas. The 2nd Saturday in December we host this event and from 8 am until 8 pm we serve these families. Each family has an appointment time and each child has been sponsored and shopped for (specifically for that child with their list). It’s a magical day for these children; they are whisked away at the door to go have fun, while their caregivers go get their gifts and get them wrapped. Once the gifts are secure in the trunk of the caregiver’s car, the children are reunited with their caregivers and they enjoy a meal together. Our volunteers love on and connect with these families in hopes that they can continue that support long after the event is over. Since December 2013 LOTCarolinas has provided Christmas for almost 800 children.