A chat about National Foster Care Month with Emiliani Coffee.
Since May is National Foster Care Month, we wanted to chat with our friends from Emiliani Coffee about what the Foster Care system looks like for youth experiencing homelessness, and what they are doing to bring awareness and make an impact.
Roughly 50% of the homeless population in the US has spent time in the foster care system.
Emiliani Coffee was built to bring kids home. For every bag of their ethically-sourced organic coffee sold, they give $1 to nonprofits and organizations that are fighting for kids in the foster care and adoption system. This year, Wildflyer Coffee is one of its donation recipients. They explain, “For us, investing in the work of Wildflyer Coffee was a no-brainer because of the close connection that exists between foster care and homelessness, with roughly 20% of youth who age out of the foster care system aging out into homelessness.” The name stems from Saint Jerome Emiliani, a saint that lived in Italy from 1486 to 1537. After running away from home at the age of 15 to join the army, he gave his life in service to God which inevitably led him to radically pursue caring for the overlooked and forgotten. He was known for his numerous works of service such as building three orphanages for abandoned children, establishing one hospital, feeding the hungry, and building a hostel for women being trafficked. Inspired by his life and legacy, Emiliana Coffee was born out of hunger to serve those working in or living in the Foster care and adoption system.
Emiliana Coffee was born out of hunger to serve those working in or living in the Foster care and adoption system.
“The most important thing for people to know about kids ending up in the foster care system is that they are kids. As obvious as that sounds, often labels get slapped on them. These labels can make it seem as if they are simply a statistic or if they did something wrong. A “foster youth” is often a label that precedes a kid and gets used as more of a “rap sheet” that disqualifies them versus a more empathetic posture that views the child as a kid first and foremost and then attempts to meet them empathetically as we do societally in most other situations with kids,” they explain.
The foster care system is incredibly messy and broken in a lot of ways due to years of underfunding. It’s an attempt at systematizing a safety net for some really complex situations. “What we try to do as a coffee company is simple: we try to identify organizations that are fighting for kids in the foster care and adoption communities and give them financial support with money that is raised through our coffee sales.” says the team at Emiliani Coffee.
An important way to improve the Foster Care system is to invest in services and programs that are specific to those in it so that the true needs of a child can be met. Another way is to learn more about what the Foster Care system actually entails, and continue to educate yourself on the reality of those in Foster Care in your area.
Read more about Emiliana Coffee’s mission here.
