Safe Families for Children-Greater St. Louis Area

08/11/2026

Jackie first reached out to Safe Families in Spring of 2023 after experiencing an assault. She needed somewhere safe for her son to stay while she got the support she needed. Jackie was nervous for Jordan to stay with a host family, but felt a bit more comfortable after connecting with Tom and Kim on FaceTime. After a few weeks of hosting, Kim and Jackie formed a great trusting relationship and Jordan had a blast with his new friends, especially the dogs. During this time, Jackie was able to care for both her physical and mental health and found new extended family through the Malones.
Since first meeting Jackie in 2023, the Malone Family has supported her through times of financial hardship, temporary homelessness, and lack of childcare. Most recently, Tom and Kim have cared for Jordan over the summer months when school is out to ensure Jackie is able to stay employed and maintain stability.

One of our mottos here at Safe Families is “short term hosting, long term relationship.” Jackie, Jordan, and the Malone family are the perfect examples of that motto lived out. We are so grateful to Jackie for taking a leap of faith in asking for help and to the Malone family for saying yes time and time again.

08/07/2026

Staff Spotlight!

Ali Patton has been with Bethany since January 2025 as the Safe Families for Children Coordinator. In her role, Ali builds relationships with parents facing crisis and coordinates hosting for their children along with case management to help them come to a better place. Prior to joining Safe Families, Ali worked in foster care, which gave her a deep appreciation for keeping families together whenever possible. She loves seeing that goal become a reality through the work of Safe Families volunteers. Ali lives with her grandmother and two cats, Vex’ahlia and Velora. Ali loves gaming, anything spooky and is currently training in Krav Maga.
Thank you for everything you do for Safe Families, Ali!

08/04/2026

Mark your calendars! Our next two info meetings are scheduled for August 12th at 7pm and August 25th at 12pm.

Safe Families volunteer host families provide short term care for children when their family is navigating a crisis such as homelessness or a medical need. You can make an incredible impact in the life of a child!

Register today at Bethany.org/stlouis

Find events in St. Louis, MO.

07/23/2026

There are many reasons people engage and volunteer with Safe Families for Children!💚

07/01/2026

Happy July!
Take a look at our mid-year impact report and join me in thanking 15 volunteer host families for serving 36 kids through hosting so far this year.
And those 15 host families provided care for a total of 296 days- amazing!!

Want to join our volunteer host family team and meet some of those unmet requests from the 53 intake calls? Email Madison Witte, our Community Outreach Coordinator, at [email protected]

By serving with Safe Families for Children, YOU can make an incredible difference in a family's wellbeing.

06/29/2026

Join us next Wednesday, July 8th, at 12pm for a virtual info meeting to learn more about how you can care for children in crisis right here in St. Louis!

Can't wait to see you there! https://bethany.org/locations/us/mo/st-louis/events/july-8th-sffc-info-meeting-7-8-2026

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day! Today is a chance to shower those men in your community with love and appreciation. This day is for all the fathers in your community, including those who are in crisis and vulnerable.

Here at Safe Families, we celebrate all the father’s out there, with a heartbeat to shower them with the help and love they need to continue raising their amazing children.

05/18/2026

If your church cares about serving vulnerable children and families, partnering with us might be the perfect fit! Watch this video to check out what Safe Families could look like in your church.
Ready to get involved? Contact our staff at 314-413-3978

05/15/2026

Safe Families for Children provides temporary care for children with volunteer host families when their parents are navigating a crisis. Unfortunately, we are not able to support every parent in need due to a limited number of host families. Could you help fill in the gap?

Below are two of the families we recently had to turn away:
- 3&5 year old siblings needing care for 30 days so their parent could stabilize employment and pay rent to avoid eviction
- A 1yr old needing care for a few days so their mom could have a mental health break.

Ready to open your home to a child and help a parent keep their family together? Learn more and inquire at bethany.org/sffc today!