Today, and every other day this year, 35 Arizonans will get an important call: a call asking them to give as many as seven children a safe place to stay. The Foster Alliance exists to support those heroes and the children they care for.

For many children who enter the foster system, keeping hold of belongings is a challenge, and many more never had what they needed in the first place. The Foster Alliance wants to ensure that these children not only have a safe place to live but that they have a bed to sleep in, clothes and shoes to wear, supplies for school, and gifts at the holidays.

Guided by the idea that all kids deserve a chance to win, The Foster Alliance gives them what they need, which encourages more families to help by relieving some of the financial stress of adding lives to a household on a moment’s notice.

For the kids who benefit, having these supplies gives them greater confidence. They’re less likely to feel self-conscious, and they’re better able to thrive knowing that people care.

The Foster Alliance is the largest provider of essential services for foster children in Arizona. Last year, the organization distributed more than $3.5 million worth of essential resources to the Arizona foster community. From brand-new beds, cribs, shoes, clothing, to diapers, pull-ups, and wipes, these items make a difference for a family welcoming a child into their home.

By providing these essentials, families can focus on filling their gas tanks, paying their utility bills, and buy everything on their grocery list while providing the best possible life for the foster children in their care.

The Foster Alliance builds backpacks and offers back-to-school bundles that include clothes and shoes for school-aged children, and because they know joy is also an essential in a child’s life, they create personalized birthday gifts and run a monthslong toy and gift drive to make sure kids in foster care get some holiday surprises.

The need is growing, and luckily so is The Foster Alliance. Last year, 8,632 were served which is the largest number of children they have ever served in one year. Here’s how you can help them serve even more foster children and continue their record setting success.

Your donation can make a big difference in showing a kid they matter, whether you’re giving money, essential items, or time. Here’s how you can give:

Imagine living with a new family and starting a new school, possibly in a new town. The Foster Alliance’s back-to-school drive helps ensure kids get the gear they need to start school feeling confident.

To take part in the back-to-school drive, you can donate cash —$54  provides a backpack filled with school supplies and tailored to the foster child’s personality, and $81 provides an outfit, shoes, socks, and a week’s worth of underwear — host a drive yourself (with support from The Foster Alliance), or shop the wishlist.

Providing gifts for children in the foster system is more about showing them they’re important than the fun of holiday surprises, although the fun is a big deal, too. The organization hosts “fill Santa’s sleigh” events during its annual holiday toy drive, and you can sign up to host your own drive.

The Foster Alliance also maintains wishlists — one for toys and another for teen gifts — to let you choose from most-requested gifts. If you’d rather give time than money, you can help by volunteering at a holiday drive event or acting as a personal shopper.