ACFPA Picnic for Members and their Families

After a five year hiatus, the Alameda County Foster Parent Association (ACFPA) hosted their Annual Picnic in person, at a local park, on Saturday August 17, 2024 with a birthday party theme, complete with cake and toys for all!

One hundred and sixty six (166) adults and kids attended the picnic. Event Chair, Lina Faanunu, ensured a fun packed event including guest local law enforcement officers who not only gifted toys, but also shared the patrol car for exploration!

The barbecue was courtesy of the Board, with Charles Bracey, ACFPA Vice President, making sure everyone’s appetites were satisfied with his delicious grill creations. The kids’ faces were grinning and colorful from the face-painting art of Orlando Salcedo. The children enjoyed train rides, the Merry-Go-Round, lawn games, arts and crafts, board games, and nail painting. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for meeting old and new friends, celebrating being together and having fun.

Special thanks to members for bringing an amazing variety of side dishes to share, Bay Area Chinese Bible Church for volunteering, Hayward Area Recreation District for providing a venue, Nothing Bundt Cake in San Leandro for their sweet donations, and the picnic committee for helping the picnic run smoothly. To see more pictures, visit the Photo Gallery and look for Picnic 2024.

November is National Adoption Month

On November 18th 2024, families gathered at the local courthouse to legalize and finalize the adoption process for their “forever families.” Happy Adoption Day to all of the families celebrating this important, life changing event.

To celebrate National Adoption month, read a book about adoption, or a book recommended by children who have been adopted. Here are some books to consider.

A New Summer Food Program

Starting this summer, you can buy more food for your child with California SUN Bucks, also called Summer-EBT.

SUN Bucks works like CalFresh, but for the summer. SUN Bucks will provide $120 per child, which is equivalent to $40 per month for the three months schools are typically closed during the summer.

Most eligible families do not need to take any action, as children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through a school meal application or an alternative income form, or who receive CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal, are automatically enrolled.

Children who are not automatically enrolled for SUN Bucks can apply for free or reduced-price school meals by completing and submitting a school meal application or alternative income form by August 31, 2024. Families can obtain these applications from their school or school administrator’s office.

SUN Bucks cards will begin arriving in June and will continue to be delivered through this fall.

To learn more, click on this link https://cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks