Foster Family Ocala hosts ‘Village Night’ to grow foster care community

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - People with Foster Florida Ocala give foster families in Marion County tools to create a safe space for children. The organization supports more than 800 families with clothes, childcare, and transportation.

After the children are placed with their foster family, that’s when Amy Hill and her team step in.

“We help and wrap around those families and supply support,” said Hill. “If you’re getting a call at 2 a.m. and you’re getting a 2-month-old and a 3-year-old but you don’t have car seats, you can call us and we’ll drop those car seats off to you in the morning.”

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Foster Florida started in 2015 in Gainesville before opening in Ocala in 2019. There are more than 300 children in foster homes and with growing families, Hill said they are opening a bigger space.

“Also create a bigger network of support for our families and bigger events and more fun stuff,” said Hill. “We want to give the kids opportunities to make positive memories so when they look back on the times they had in care there’s more than just heartbreak.”

Hill said she hopes the building will be open by late July.

Organizers are hosting “Village Night” where people can ask questions about how to get started fostering or if they want to volunteer. The meeting starts tonight at 7 at Meadowbrook Church, 4741 SW 20th St. To learn more, visit their website.

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