Blanketing Alabama

Brenda Colburn, a Shelby County resident and mother of two, and her husband decided two years ago they wanted to grow their family by becoming foster parents.

In the time since, she said they’ve taken in almost two dozen kids.

Almost immediately, Colburn said she saw a need many may not consider when they think of the foster care system: bedding.

While her family has the resources to provide bedding for the children they foster, Colburn said many foster families don’t.

Additionally, she said many of the children in the foster system have little-to-no possessions to call their own, something she said research and her personal experience have shown can have a profound negative effect on the kids.

“We just saw this huge need for the children to have something,” she said.

That’s why, in 2015, she said she got an idea.

She and her family, along with a few members of the community, decided to have a blanket drive aimed at collecting enough blankets to give to every child in the system in Shelby County.

Fleecing the Flock — a name for the project that comes out of the construction of the blankets: two large pieces of fleece tied together along each edge — hoped to get 130 blankets in the first year, and look to expanding later.

And they succeeded.

After being able to provide a blanket for every child in the foster system, Colburn said the group set their sights on providing blankets for the new children in Shelby County as well as expanding outward into surrounding counties.

“There’s always a need,” she said.

Once the blankets are made, Colburn takes them to the respective county’s Department of Human Resources, which distributes the blankets to children as they are placed.

In 2016, Fleecing the Flock provided 130 blankets to Shelby County, 42 to Bibb County, 105 to Chilton County and others.

And what started as something to support local Shelby County foster kids, Colburn said, is quickly turning into what she hopes will be a statewide initiative.

There are approximately 5,000 children in the foster care system, and 1,100 of those are in Jefferson County alone.

Colburn said Fleecing the Flock is hoping to be able to “Blanket Alabama” within the next few years, starting with the goal of 1,500 blankets in 2017 and growing from there.

“We have been thrilled with the community support and success,” she said, but added there is still a lot of work to be done.

Fortunately, she said making blankets or raising money to purchase materials make great community service projects for church small groups, Girl Scout troops or anyone looking to make a difference in their community. Colburn said she is also available to speak to groups about the foster-care system and the needs children face.

To get involved, Colburn said those interested can reach out on Fleecing the Flock’s Facebook page, or email her at fleecingtheflockalabama@gmail.com.