STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Liz Johnson of Stroudsburg has been a foster parent since 2012, welcoming more than 30 kids into her home over the years.
"I don't think people realize how many kids there are. It's kind of like the unseen community in our society that we don't always know the kids in foster care," Johnson said.
Johnson found very few resources to help foster families here in northeastern Pennsylvania. That's when she came across The Kindness Project, a nonprofit in the Lehigh Valley. The organization helps foster families with everything from clothing to hygiene products.
After taking advantage of what they offered, Johnson joined The Kindness Project to bring their mission to those families in the Poconos and the region.
She's getting ready to open The Kindness Cottage, the nonprofit's second location in Stroud Township.
"We just hope that the cottage just becomes an experience for the kids, that they can just feel loved and accepted and along with the foster parents. They're doing the hard work of bringing the kids in, and we want them to feel that support around them."
The Kindness Cottage runs off kindness from those right here in the community. Volunteers say all this wouldn't be possible without donations.
"We have formula. We have bottles. We have everything from undergarments to clothing to school supplies — whatever the foster family may need."
Johnson says she hopes to provide more convenience and support to foster families and the children with the cottage.
"That's just what we want to do. Bring them some light when it's a really hard and scary place — you know, give them some hope and encouragement."
You can donate online to The Kindness Project HERE.
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