“Is there magic in this world? Certainly! But it is not the kind of magic written about in fantasy stories. It is the kind of magic that comes from ideas and the hard work it often takes to make them real. ”

― Robert Fanney

Nine years ago, when Anthony and Laura Poteet started their foster-to-adopt journey, they had no idea how much their lives would be changing, in ways they hadn’t even imagined. After just one year, their family of four had grown to six, and they were settling into their life of total fulfillment …or were they?

“We went into the process completely blind, “ said Anthony. “It was super easy for us, we just didn’t see the struggles that some families have, but we had heard so many stories.”

These hardships that other foster families were facing weighed heavy on Anthony’s mind, as another year passed by. He just couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to do more. 

“I just felt like we stuck our hands into this terrible system and walked away,” Anthony admitted. 

Since additional fostering wasn’t an option for the Poteets, they decided to do what they could to help other families with their fostering process. Anthony deliberated on the best way to make an impact, and came to the realization that too much of their time and energy had gone into supplying a home for the children instead of being a home for them. 

“We had a 48 hour notice before our kids arrived and we had NOTHING! We spent the first few weeks running around and gathering items instead of solely focusing on the kids who were on their second or third move,” Anthony said. 

Foster parents don’t get baby showers. They don’t have hand-me-downs stored away for the second or third born babies. Instead, they get a phone call and a few hours to prepare. This dilemma gave Anthony, a retail manager by trade, a big idea. 

“What if there was a social network of people, and if they needed something we could gather and deliver it to the foster parent,” Anthony pondered, laying awake one night. 

And so, in 2016, the Foster Families Assistance Network was born. 

Anthony began running the network from his home using social media outlets to keep his followers informed of what was needed. The support from his community was overwhelming! Their patronage was so considerable,  Anthony and his son Jacob were able to execute the second phase of his plan in July 2022: to have a physical location paid for by selling surplus inventory to the non-fostering public, and where foster families could shop for free thanks to donations from the community.

The location change has given a huge boost to community awareness and involvement. Since opening the retail location, the network has grown to 4600 followers on Facebook alone. Anthony posts specific needs of different families and makes quick work of gathering the necessary items for them through that outlet.

“If there’s something we need, we can typically have it in a few hours,” Anthony said. “If we don’t have it in a few hours, we typically request funds, and we usually don’t struggle finding them.” 

All this support started from a nagging feeling, which bore a big idea, which now has inspired so many in our community to become involved in a process that could have been so isolating for foster families. 

“Our goal this year is AIM, Awareness + Involvement = Makes a difference,” Anthony says. 

If you would like to make a difference, follow Foster Families Assistance Network on Facebook or Instagram and watch for posts. The needs of the families they support are ever changing, and the bigger the network, the more likely it is that every need will be met.