Throughout the pandemic, one East Valley nonprofit has done what it can to keep its doors open safely and offer support to families in the foster care system.
ASA Now operates Jacob's Mission Community Center in Mesa. The organization is run by three foster mothers, including ASA Now President Anika Robinson.
ABC15 Arizona spent time with the organization when the center was still a construction zone.
"It took us 18 months to renovate this space in about three acres, is what we have, and it has just been amazing to see the transformation... not only in the building but the transformation in the children's lives," Robinson said. "So, children come for after-school tutoring, they come for cooking classes, karate, dance, art, piano, guitar, musical theatre. They come for life-skills classes for those youth who are going to be aging out."
It has since opened and served more than 11,000 kids in 2020 alone and provided $400,000 worth of supplies for families.
But they are not funded by the state. They are funded by the community.
To keep up with increased demand and continue to help families in the foster care system, they are looking for volunteers at the center. They also need volunteers for an upcoming drive-in movie fundraiser on Saturday, March 27.
To learn more about helping, click here, or to find out how to make a monetary donation, click here.
