In 2017, when Rebekah Black was searching for a new way to spread her faith and heart for ministry about 840 children were in the foster care system in Gwinnett. As a single mother of three, fostering a child herself wasn’t practical.
“A lot of people think the only way they can be a part of bringing comfort to foster kids is bringing them into their home,” Black shared. “I felt pressed to go find out what these kids need.”
After talking to DFCS, private foster agencies and foster families the need for pajamas kept coming up repeatedly. Strangely, pajamas are not a part of the clothing list foster parents can submit for reimbursement.
Shortly after identifying the need, Jambos was founded with the simple mission of providing brand-new pajamas to children in foster care, serving 5,500 children in its first year.
In 2021, the nonprofit collected 21,000 pairs of pajamas, expanded its reach by 26 states in the U.S. and four countries, debuted new warehouse space in Buford’s Tannery Row and launched its “Jambos-To-Home” program to deliver new jammies directly to the front doors of foster families.
“Oftentimes, as children enter the foster care system, they arrive at their foster homes with very few of their own belongings,” said Black, the Founder and CEO of Jambos. “We have heard stories of foster families receiving children with only the clothing on their backs. We understand that the transition from home to home can be very abrupt and sudden. This transition is uncertain, and those kids can be understandably anxious, so we are on a mission to provide pajamas to bring a cozy night’s rest, a little bit of peace of mind and, hopefully, an awareness that they are loved – even by people they don’t even know.”
The mission has been strengthened by partners like 12Stone Church whose recent year-end pajama drive resulted in over 14,000 pairs of PJs.
Jason Berry, Co-Senior Pastor for the church had this to say about the effort: “We are excited to see Jambos have such a profound impact on children in foster care with something as simple as a pair of pajamas.”
As it heads into 2022, Jambos now boasts a presence in 31 states and seven countries with 371 registered volunteers and 83 donation sites.
Black noted, “2022 will be a huge year for us as we take on more territory hoping to serve kids in all 50 states. Our goal is to deploy over 1,000 pairs of pajamas a month for the second year in a row.”
Like all nonprofits, funding is an ongoing issue. The organization will host its first annual golf tournament and first gala this year in hopes of raising both funds and awareness of the needs of children in foster care.
“We love when the community takes part in bringing comfort with us. From hosting a pajama donation site to volunteering in our warehouse, our supporters’ efforts make a huge difference,” said Black.
“Start with the pajamas. Then if this is something really pulling at you, let us introduce you to a respite opportunity or babysitting or take a meal to a family. There are more opportunities and we’ve seen people come with pajamas and then sign up to be a foster family.”
Host a pajama donation site, volunteer, donate or learn more about Jambos at www.jambosdonates.com. Sponsor Jambos’ Inaugural Putting Fore Pajamas Golf Tournament: www.jambosdonatesgolf.org.
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