A mom needed a booster seat for her young child. So, a request was placed through CarePortal, an organization that uses technology to connect people in need of support to those who can help.
Joanna responded to the booster seat request. She also brought a box of ice cream sandwiches for the kids.
That’s when she learned just how difficult things were for the family.
The mom told Joanna she was struggling to make ends meet and wouldn’t be able to buy more food until the following week.
“I asked her what the kids liked, and I went straight to the grocery store to fill their pantry,” Joanna said. The kids were beyond excited when she returned with grocery bags of food. “You would have thought I brought them a million dollars.”
What started out as an opportunity to provide a booster seat turned into a meaningful connection at just the right time. And a relationship began.
Stories like Joanna’s illustrate the impact one person can have when they step up to help a neighbor. It’s why CarePortal and other organizations seek to strengthen family and child well-being by fortifying communities, promoting more neighborliness, and normalizing asking for and giving help to those in need.
Communities have the capacity to support children and their families, but many have been constrained by the idea that social issues such as child welfare should be managed by government agencies.
By encouraging innovation and collaboration, Americans can radically change how states and communities support families. To this end, a preexisting network of caring people, nonprofits, churches, and other organizations is already engaging in cross-sector collaboration and working together to facilitate local, proactive, and effective care for kids.
These efforts are producing outcomes that show how communities can prevent challenges from escalating into crises.
“Parenting is really hard, even in the best of circumstances, and everyone needs support from time to time,” explained Adrien Lewis, founder and CEO of CarePortal. “What CarePortal is really trying to accomplish is to create meaningful connections whenever possible. Because it’s those meaningful connections that change the path of people’s lives, and we end up being a far stronger community because of it."
Leveraging technology to connect families in need with people who want to help
Contributing to one’s community is among the highest aspirations Americans have for living meaningful lives. However, research conducted by Populace finds that only 33% of Americans say they are engaged in their community at the level they want.
Organizations like CarePortal and The Contingent are helping more people get involved in their communities by leveraging technology and connecting Americans with opportunities to help families in need in their own neighborhoods. Both organizations match people who can help with families in need identified by government agencies and local community organizations.
- CarePortal's app allows caseworkers to post urgent needs — like furniture for a single mom escaping abuse or car repairs for a hardworking dad who is struggling financially and needs to get to work. People, churches, and community groups can respond and meet the need. This innovative use of technology helps CarePortal break through existing siloes to reach individuals who may not otherwise be connected to those who need support. Its success is evident, with over 500,000 people served in 38 states and more than 140,000 five-star reviews. It’s projected to reach over 1 million people per year by 2029.
- The Contingent applies data-driven strategies to foster care and emergency support. Using marketing-style analytics, it identifies gaps in care and efficiently matches families with assistance. This paid marketing approach operates like modern advertising that “follows” a user online after viewing an item like a dresser or computer. Best of all, it significantly outperforms traditional outreach methods like coffee meetings or booths at festivals and events, recruiting foster families at a 4-to-1 ratio compared to grassroots efforts.
“I’m not an inventor or a computer whiz,” said Ben Sand, founder of The Contingent. “I was just brazen enough to ask the question: ‘What if we balance the constant barrage of ads we see selling weight loss products and ask people to do hard things for one another?’”
The innovative use of technology by CarePortal and The Contingent ensures that not only do real needs get met in real time, but meaningful connections in the community often lead to relationships that help decrease isolation and strengthen family relationships. Neighbors serving neighbors at scale is the goal — because connection changes everything.
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Surrounding foster families with community
Efforts to strengthen communities must go beyond reacting to crises. Rather than waiting for challenges to escalate into family separation, we can take a proactive approach — meeting families in their everyday struggles and offering consistent, compassionate support.
Organizations like National Angels and Friends of the Children are leading this shift. They provide meaningful, long-term relationships for youth and families in or at risk of joining the child welfare system — laying the foundation for resilience, stability, and a brighter future.
National Angels empowers kids and families experiencing foster care with the strength of community. In a system where stability is often elusive, the organization builds enduring relationships between volunteers, youth, and caregivers. These relationships offer a sense of belonging and a pathway for youth to become the best version of themselves as they enter adulthood.
Operating in 19 cities across the country, the National Angels model is grounded in three pillars: intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship. Volunteers commit to long-term engagement, offering essential items through "Love Boxes," consistent emotional support, and mentorship in life skills like academic success and career readiness. This support often continues for years — frequently through high school graduation and beyond.
Experiences of children connected to National Angels volunteers highlight how community members supporting a foster family can make a world of difference.
Consider Damien, who spent 11 of his 14 years in foster care, cycling through 17 placements. The instability took a toll on his academics, his relationships, and his self-worth. He dreamed of joining the school football team, but lacked both the grades and support to make it happen. Within six months of being matched with his Love Box volunteers, Damien earned straight As, forged strong relationships, and secured a spot on the football team. Today, with his support team cheering him on from the sidelines, Damien is not just surviving — he’s thriving, with dreams of playing in the NFL.
"Not everyone is called to foster or adopt, but everyone can make a difference in a child's life," said Susan Ramirez, CEO of National Angels.
‘No matter what’: Connecting children in foster care with additional caring adults
Sometimes, it’s the support outside the foster family that moves a child from merely surviving to thriving in their future. That belief drives Friends of the Children, a national nonprofit that uses early intervention to help youth experiencing foster care escape generational poverty.
Three words define the organization’s mission: No matter what. The group provides support for every child it works with over their entire childhood — no matter what.
This long-term commitment is what sets Friends of the Children apart. The organization begins working with youth at age 4 or 6 and doesn't stop for 12 or more years.
Friends of the Children National CEO Terri Sorensen says the group "moves mentoring out of the volunteer space to paid professionals.” These mentors, called Friends, are trained to empower children and families facing many different obstacles.
"We're coming early … and providing a consistent, caring adult for 12-plus years, their whole childhood," she says.
Rather than replace a parent or teacher, mentors complement these figures in a child's life. By working alongside them, they create a support system around the child, empowering them to realize and go after the future they want — not the future they feel born into.
Consider the experience of Friends of the Children alum Jimmy. For generations, every man in his family had gone to prison. After his father passed away when he was just 2 years old, he was raised in an environment fraught with drug use and mental health challenges.
When Jimmy was 8, his mentor John entered his life for the first time. Jimmy said that, for the first time in his life, there was “an adult that's there to listen to your dreams and wants and wishes. They're doing everything in their power to show you the path. That will change anyone's life."
John guided him through every aspect of life, including his relationships, school, home life, and dreams. Most importantly, he built up Jimmy's confidence, allowing him to "be around other people and not feel different, regardless of my social status,” Jimmy said.
Years later, Jimmy works with a successful lawyer, advocating for other children in foster care just like him. The cycle he was born into is officially broken.
Without John's presence in his life, Jimmy said, he would be addicted to drugs and most likely die young. Today, John is no longer his formal mentor, but he’s still a steady presence in his life.
There’s no single solution to the challenges of poverty and family instability. Yet, the stories of Jimmy and Damien show the irreplaceable power of relationships and the transformative impact of community.
A strong community is not just a safety net for those facing hardship — it is the foundation upon which we all build our lives. While some families and children like Damien and Jimmy needed extra support, the truth is that we all benefit from deep, meaningful connections with those around us.
By fostering strong communities, we do more than just help children in crisis — we create a world where no one has to face challenges alone, where every person can reach their full potential, and where the cycle of hardship is replaced with a cycle of hope.
CarePortal, Friends of the Children, and National Angels are supported by Stand Together Foundation, which partners with the nation’s most transformative nonprofits to break the cycle of poverty.
The Contingent is supported by Stand Together Trust, which provides funding and strategic capabilities to innovators, scholars, and social entrepreneurs to develop new and better ways to tackle America’s biggest problems.
Learn more about Stand Together's efforts to build strong and safe communities and explore ways you can partner with us.
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