After having our first Man Up trip to a domestic location (outside of our RAGBRAI bike-across-Iowa), we are looking to make a positive impact on the fatherless in whatever way we can locally. A simple way we fought for the fatherless earlier this year was by partnering with Reeves Import Motorcars in Tampa, FL, to collect backpacks and hand them out to foster families and single mothers.
At their first Saturday of the month Motorsports gathering this past August, we took in the sights and sounds of over 300 classic, roadsters, racers, tricked out, or huge vehicles and collected backpacks generously donated to us by Reeves. We had a blast at this event but an even better time handing them out to various foster families around the Tampa Bay area.
Foster care is one of the most urgent needs in the current epidemic of fatherlessness in America. In the Tampa area, for instance, 20 kids on average are removed from their home each day for negligence, abandonment, abuse, or a combination of all three. That’s why we loved the story of Jennifer. Jennifer is one of those rare souls who didn’t think James 1:27 was optional – and her faith is proved by her works.
You see, Jennifer is a single mom who has – count them – nine children in her home, seven of which are foster children. When you hear that, it kind of makes all the excuses you’ve been making pretty small by comparison, right? Yeah, we feel the same. When we found out about Jennifer through a local foster care agency, we just knew she would be the perfect recipient for these backpacks.
We also had a $50 gift card to Ford’s Garage that was donated to us by a donor, so she was able to take the kiddos out as well.
Because of confidentiality we are not allowed to show pictures of the kiddos, but Jennifer is as rock-solid as they come, and should be an inspiration to us all. We need more like her to #manup and fight for the fatherless who are in our American foster care systems.
If you’re interested in how you can get involved with the fatherless in our backyards here in the U.S., please feel free to Contact Us.
