Michele Austin wasn’t okay with her new son having an empty closet.
“I became a foster parent because my partner at the time and I couldn't have children ourselves. So we decided to foster and we got our first foster placement, my son Timothy—he’s 22 now. And he didn't come with anything. Clothes that he had on that were too big for him, a duffel bag and a small bag of toys.”
Michele networked with people and got Timothy more essential items. But as she and her partner foster-parented more kids, Michele noticed “every kid after didn’t come with anything. We just got to the point of ‘how are we going to afford to take care of these kids?’ The state gives you some money but not a whole lot.”
Michele stumbled on Foster Closet of Michigan, a fledgling women-run organization with an all-female board. Within a month, she was president of the nonprofit, which grew so rapidly they had to split up by counties. Michele now runs the Oakland County Foster Closet (ocfostercloset.org).
“In the 11 years that I've been running the Closet, it’s the same story over and over again. Can you imagine coming into care with the underwear on your butt and maybe a pair of bags? So when they come in, one of the first things we're doing is finding socks, underwear, diapers, wipes—all of those essential things that they need.”
In 2018, Michele expanded her services to include low-income families, as well as children who have entered Child Protective Services.
“I am low-income. I live in a double-wide trailer. There are times that I'm scraping by. But man, I will help as much as I can because the Foster Closet blesses me constantly. If I can give you something that makes you feel dignified and respected and all of those things, you stand taller, you act more confident. You can become a more productive person if you’re filled with the right stuff.”
So far the Closet has helped almost 12,000 children with close to 300,000 items. Anyone who qualifies for the Oakland County Foster Closet gets everything for free.
“I can't tell you how many foster parents I've been registering, and I let him know that everything is free, they don't have to pay for anything—and they just look at me like I have three heads. And the tears just roll.”
Many foster parents don't know what they'd do without the Oakland County Foster Closet’s help.
“[It’s taken a huge weight off of my shoulders and let me focus on just bonding with the baby,” says Joy. Other foster moms agree: “It helped me be able to clothe my kids,” Iris says. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.” Bianca adds, “They have brought peace of mind.” And “when I needed help after a terrible crisis," Vykeisha says, "the OCFC were there for me at my time of need.”
Michele understands the parents’ emotions. In total, she fostered 18 children.
“The amount of trauma that they deal with…every single one of my kids…it’s so unbelievably heartbreaking. Showing up to a stranger's house you don't know—you’re with some adult that told you you had to leave your family's home. It doesn't matter what the drama was, doesn't matter what the abuse was. And by the way, you have your stuff in a garbage bag. I mean, talk about degrading. So when the kids come into our closet, we want to give dignity and respect back.”
Michele starts by talking to both the adults and the children with respect.
“When families come in and register, we have a spot for non-binary. A foster mom was almost embarrassed to say that the daughter preferred men's underwear, and I looked at her straight in the face and said, ‘Everything I wear is men's clothing. I don't want to be a boy. I'm just more comfortable in those clothes.’ Everyone that walks through our doors are people first. They are not defined by their situation or circumstance. They are people needing help, not judgement.”
After a conversation, where each foster child gets their choice of a suitcase, a duffel bag, or a backpack to transport their new stuff, it’s time for them to stock up on all the items we often take for granted: brand-new clothes, toiletries and school supplies.
“Our facility is beautiful; it’s set up like a boutique. It's bright. It's labeled. It's clean. It has good quality clothes. We have our ‘Birthday In A Bag’ program…just a little bag that has cake mix and frosting, candles, napkins, decorations, just to throw a little party. Because If I can bring some joy to a kid, I want to do that.”
Foster kids can choose original artwork to decorate the the walls of their new room. The paintings are donated by volunteer children. Every kid also gets a heartwarming “Somebody Loves You” box, with a brand-new stuffed animal friend. Every kid also gets a heartwarming “Somebody Loves You” box, with a brand-new stuffed animal friend.
And then there’s the toy room.
“We have a toy room that is completely filled with brand new toys. I’ve seen many, many, many, many kids that are in foster care come into that toy room—and they don’t move. It’s because they don’t think they can. I have to tell them, ‘You can pick out anything you want.’ That toy room is fantastic. I want them to experience opening a new toy, taking out a new toy…breaking a new toy.”
Michele couldn’t work her magic without the efforts of the local community. “Howard Tapper, of Tappers Fine Jewelry, has donated coats to us for the past seven years—brand new, with tags on them. Park West Gallery’s foundation helps aged-out kids. It really does take a village.”
That village includes volunteers like a group from Vibe Credit Union, who were hard at work folding donated clothes while we interviewed Michele. It also includes construction company owner Vinessa Palermo, a Foster Closet board member.
“Seeing the statistics and the number of items [the Closet has] donated, it really really touched me,” Vinessa says. “I’m adopted myself, so it really hit hard.”
Michele adds, “I can't be a foster parent anymore. But I can do this because we can all do something. Everybody can do something and I do this and I love it. Mondays are my favorite day of the week. I can't wait for the weekend to get over so I can get back in the closet. How funny does that sound?”
If you want to help, says Michele, the Closet is filled to the brim with items. What it needs is a bigger home.
“I started in my house. We’re in 4,000 square feet—we are still out of space. I have two storage units. I want to try for a forever home. I have spent 11 years asking and begging for that because to do good, we got to stop worrying about the bottom line.”
Oakland County Foster Closet aids 250 children every month, and holds events for foster children all year round. To be a part of their mission, or to help them find their forever home, email Michele at info@ocfostercloset.org or call (248) 419-4487.
When the kids come into our closet, we want to give dignity and respect back.
You can become a more productive person if you’re filled with the right stuff.
