Foster Closet outgrows itself; invites community to see new location

August 22, 2018

Stuart -

The Treasure Coast Foster Closet got too big for its donated britches. Literally.

So the founders of the Stuart-based resource moved the closet to a new location, giving them much more space to serve the growing number of foster parents coming to them for help.

The community is invited to view the new location during a grand opening from 5-7 p.m. August 25, at 110 SW Monterey Road, Suite five.

"We had such an amazing response from the community, that we were out of room," said Ericah Brinson, Stuart foster parent and Foster Closet co-founder. "You couldn't even walk in there - we knew we had to take a leap of faith and open a bigger space."

Brinson founded the closet in early 2017 with her sister-in-law and fellow foster parent, Sabrina Brinson. The two set up shop in a Stuart storage unit and made the donations they collected from local businesses available to other foster parents.

Foster families have access to the closet around the clock, while large donations are accepted by appointment. There is also a covered bin on the side of the building where people can leave donations.

"Our mission is to provide for the needs of foster families so they can focus on giving their time to the most vulnerable children in our community," Ericah Brinson said.

The Foster Closet serves about 50 children each month and is run entirely on donations and by volunteers, she said.

To help raise money for rent and other resources, the Foster Closet will raffle off a 1991 golf cart during the grand opening event. Raffle tickets are $20 each or three for $50. they are available at

If you are a foster parent living in Okeechobee or the Treasure Coast, check out the Treasure Coast Foster Closet on Facebook and ask to join.