AUSTIN, Texas — When a child first enters into foster care in Central Texas, they are partnered with a caseworker. Oftentimes, the first stop that caseworker makes is to the Rainbow Room, located inside the Texas Department of Protective Services Headquarters on 14000 Summit Drive.
The room is filled with a wide range of essentials that the child might need. Marcus Cantu with Partnerships for Children is the manager for the room and said as the seasons are changing, so are the needs for the Rainbow Room.
He said right now, the room is in need of the following items:
- Size 4 diapers and wipes
- Warm clothes and blankets
- Duffle bags
"In the world that we work in, child protective services, a lot of times, things have to happen quickly for the safety of the children. So a lot of times, their stuff has to be left behind," Cantu said. "If they are in a situation where they need to be pulled out of their home, they don't have anything with them, just the clothes on their back."
Editor's note: The children who are in the Heart Gallery program and featured in KVUE's Forever Families segments are children who have had every effort made on their behalf to connect them with family or others in their community to provide options for permanent, adoptive homes. Through no fault of their own, that hasn’t happened yet, and so in partnership with the Department of Family and Protective Services, we collaborate to bring awareness to KVUE viewers about these children in the hopes of finding them permanency before they age out.