There are other gaps to be filled throughout the year that don’t necessarily carry a price tag and may have more of a positive impact: They include legislative advocacy, such as bolstering kinship care as the Texas Legislature has done, and considering how the opioid crisis affects foster kids, to volunteering. And Missouri’s First Lady Sheena Greitens pushed to open that state’s child abuse and neglect hotline to out-of-state numbers.

Ninety-five percent of children experience placement disruptions (moved from home-to-home) during their stay in the system, so the likelihood of a child ending the year in a different home than where they started, is high.

Moreover, the opioid crisis has driven greater numbers of children into the system, according to the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. So supporting policies that address over-prescription and addiction recovery can help keep families together.

Giving back without a deadline is a win-win, really. You get to feel good more often, and you send an important message to a child in foster care: You matter every day in the year, not just Christmas morning.

Read the full article on foster kids by Shaleiah Fox at Medium.