Nonprofit Highlight: Upper Cumberland Foster Closet Helps Foster Families Feel Ready for What Comes Next

Sometimes, support looks like a mentor, a listening ear, or a community that understands what you’re going through. And sometimes, it looks like having the everyday basics ready when a child needs them.

That’s where Upper Cumberland Foster Closet comes in. Their mission is “to encourage and equip those who feel called to fostering by providing resources including material goods, support groups, education, and mentoring.”

Helping Foster Families Feel Supported

Based in Cookeville, Tennessee, Upper Cumberland Foster Closet helps foster families and the children in their care navigate a season that can bring a lot of change all at once.

Their support goes beyond providing clothing and other necessities. They also offer education, mentoring, and support groups to help families feel more prepared and supported as they step into fostering.

In 2025, the organization served between 500 and 999 people, including children and youth. For many of the families they serve, access to basic necessities matters in a very practical way. Upper Cumberland Foster Closet estimates that 91–100% of those they serve are below the poverty line.

The Little Things Aren’t So Little

When a child enters foster care, there can be a long list of things they suddenly need. Socks, clothes, shoes, and even underwear. These are everyday items many of us don’t think twice about, but for a child going through a major transition, having those basics matters a lot.

Upper Cumberland Foster Closet sees that need firsthand.

As they shared with us:

“We host a back to school event every year. We want every child that signs up to be able to receive a new pack of underwear, as well as many other things like socks, a new outfit, new shoes and a haircut! Underwear are always a need, especially for those children who are just experiencing foster care.” - Upper Cumberland Foster Closet

Every year, the organization spends several thousand dollars on socks and underwear to make sure more than 200 children have what they need for its back-to-school event. They also replenish supplies throughout the year as certain sizes run low. Having those essentials donated means more of their budget can stay focused on the many other ways they support foster families.

Where Your Donated Bras Come In

This is one of the reasons we talk so much about giving bras a second life. When you send bras to The Bra Recyclers, they are sorted to determine the best next step.

Bras that are still in good, wearable condition can be prepared for reuse. Through The Undie Chest, those items can then make their way to nonprofit partners like Upper Cumberland Foster Closet, where they can be placed directly into the hands of people who can use them.

So a bra that no longer fits you may still have plenty of good left to give.

Your drawer → The Bra Recyclers → The Undie Chest → nonprofit partners → someone who needs it.

Reuse Comes First

Our goal is always to find the most useful next life for the items we receive. When a bra is still wearable, reuse helps keep it in circulation while meeting a real need. If an item isn’t suitable for redistribution, we look for other responsible next steps whenever possible.

We don’t believe something has to be brand new to still have value. And partnerships like this one show just how much good can come from choosing to pass something useful along.

A Simple Donation Can Help Ease a Hard Transition

For a child entering foster care, receiving something as basic as clothing that fits can help make an unfamiliar situation feel a little more manageable. For a foster family, having access to those essentials means one less thing to worry about.

And for Upper Cumberland Foster Closet, donated items help stretch resources further so they can continue supporting families with material goods, education, mentoring, and community.

That’s the bigger story behind the bras you send us. They may leave your drawer, but their story doesn’t end there.