Mina's Foster Closet provides for foster children

By JUSTIN DENNIS

jdennis@vindy.com

NORTH LIMA

Foster-family advocates and state officials christened a new free resource for foster and kinship care providers Friday.

Mina’s Foster Closet, 11836 South Ave., Building E, Suite 3, is accepting donations of new or gently used goods to offer free to foster families, kinship caregivers or emancipated minors, such as kids’ clothes and shoes, formula or unexpired food, furniture and home supplies for emancipated teens striking out on their own.

The closet is named for one of the first children fostered by Nicole Tsarnas, the nonprofit’s president. Tsarnas cared for the newborn Mina until she was 6 months old, when she was reunited with her father. The experience left a huge impact on Tsarnas, her sister Melissa Ames said.

Tsarnas said though foster families receive a stipend for the state-placed children they take into their home – typically $25 per day – it often doesn’t cover all the children’s needs such as school clothes and shoes, hygiene items or toys. Foster parents can expect to spend $1,600 to $2,000 initially for each child they foster, she said.

About 40 area foster children have benefited from the donated goods thus far, she said.

“This is a way of making it easier for the foster families. They can come in and ‘shop’ for the things that they need at no charge.”

Jennifer Kollar, Mahoning County Children Services spokeswoman, said she sees the new resource as a boon for kinship providers – natural relatives of children in the foster system, who are often contacted to take custody on a moment’s notice and may be on a fixed income – or emancipated teens, neither of whom receive much monetary support from the foster system.

“This resource, I think, is going to be a tremendous asset to those families that find themselves financially in a hardship situation,” she said.

As the volunteer-run closet receives monetary donations, workers create “move-in kits” containing everything an emancipated youth needs for his or her first home, such as small appliances, cleaning supplies or tools, Tsarnas said. The kits cost about $300 each, she said.

“With $300, we hope to bless each teenager that’s aging out of the system with these kits,” she said.

Mina’s Foster Closet is open to donate or peruse items by appointment only, by calling 330-536-9098. Tsarnas said she hopes to have set open hours “at some point.”

Monetary donations also can be made through the closet’s website, minasfostercloset.com, or on its Facebook page, Facebook.com/minasfostercloset.

State Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, one of many who toured the closet, said its mission “is all done from the heart.” He said as the nonprofit continues to establish itself in the community, it could be considered for state capital budget funding in the coming years.

The closet also received certificates of recognition from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, and U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson of Marietta, R-6th.