By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Esther Perez-Shroyer sits in her cozy Bowling Green living room that seems to get smaller every day as a community answers her call for assistance.
Each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as people drop off bags full of items such as towels, pillows, toasters, cleaning products and tools, the paths through her house get a little narrower, she said.
For 11 years, she has spearheaded a drive to collect household items for teens who are transitioning out of foster care because they are 18 years old. Initially she asked family and close friends to pitch in, and each year as word-of-mouth spreads that circle of friends has expanded.
This year, the request is going public with the hope of raising greater awareness of this sometimes unknown or forgotten need.
“I never knew there was such a need for these kinds of things” until a friend brought it to her attention, Perez-Shroyer said.
In 2011, Lori Brim, who worked for Lucas County Children’s Services, asked for coupons that she could use to help some of the older foster kids save money on food, toiletries and household items. Every time they needed something, Brim would spend a lot of her paycheck to help them out.
Perez-Shroyer took it a step further. She decided to ask her circle of friends and family to pitch in, not just by providing coupons but items the coupons would buy. The first year, she collected “36 full, full bags” of mostly groceries and health and beauty goods.
“When Lori came to pick up the bags that first year, she was so excited; she thought she hit the lottery,” Perez-Shroyer said.
The outreach grew and morphed over the years, even more so after Brim passed away in 2017.
“I had to find another way to keep this going because I swear, I’m going to keep doing this forever,” Perez-Shroyer said.
She recalled meeting Judy Bender-Hutton who is a social worker with the Findlay-based adoption agency Keeping Kids Safe. She works with foster children in seven counties, including the teens who are ready for emancipation from the foster care system. “She gets these kids who live in foster homes ready for graduation to their own apartment or college,” said Perez-Shroyer, whose collection allows Bender-Hutton to get items room by room for these kids.
“I asked her if she would be interested in these things that were donated for foster kids,” she said. “She was ecstatic, and everything we collect goes to somebody in the system.”
There’s still time to help
Perez-Shroyer hopes to make this year the best one yet.
The drive is for new household items for kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and cleaning supplies–from plates and pillows to tools and towels. (See suggested items list).
Items can be dropped off at the Shroyer house at 738 Conneaut Ave. through Tuesday, Dec. 10. There is a large bin on the front porch where items can be left.
She has created a Facebook group with information and updates. The page is a private group that requires a request to join, and she works to approve requests quickly.
“I can’t imagine having to move out of a home you’ve known and are familiar with at 18 years old to start out on your own,” said Robin Crusa Spoores, who has been a consistent donor for several years. “My heart breaks for these kids. If these items donated can help them to get started on their next life chapter, then it can hopefully make their transition smoother and less stressful.”
After dropping off several bags with toasters, pots, pans and crockpots, Spoores said, “I think I can speak for all of us who donate that we do this out of love, so hopefully these kids can feel a little bit of our love.”
Perez-Shroyer has seen that first-hand, when a few of the foster teens previously came with Bender-Hutton on a pick-up day. “They had no idea what to expect,” she said, recalling when one of the teens saw the piles of donations and said, “Now we know that people care.”
“That’s what it’s all about,” Perez-Shroyer said.
However, for some of the regular donors, it goes beyond the feel-good of helping the teens; it’s also about a woman who “always contributes in a big way and does so always with a beautiful smile and big heart,” said Melanie Stretchbery, who has known Perez-Shroyer since their now-grown children were classmates in elementary school and played ball at Carter Park.
“The most amazing stories are told about people who have no idea that others believe them to be the most amazing people. Such is the case with Esther, who never just sits on the sidelines,” Stretchbery said. “Having common friends who worked with children in the care of Children’s Services, we were aware that there has always been an opportunity to help those in need of a hand up.”
Now, with more than 10 years of ever-expanding success, Stretchbery said, “Esther’s generous spirit is shared by her many friends who fill her living room every year with baskets of useful things to ensure that these young adults would be off to a good start.”
“Thank you for doing this,” Amy Craft Ahrens wrote on the Facebook page before dropping off eight bags filled to the brim. “It’s such an awesome thing to be a part of.”
