Trusting the Route

traci0428
Jun 30
2 min read

Here’s me traveling somewhere new: I get in the car, open my GPS app, select my destination, and start driving.

I should tell you that I have absolutely no sense of direction. Zero.

There are three

ifferent ways out of my neighborhood, and sometimes I’m surprised by which one the GPS chooses. I hear there are people who actually look at the route before they leave. It never occurred to me to do that. I just go. This blind faith in my GPS has served me well. Sure, we’ve had a few misdirections, but for the most part, it gets me where I need to go. (Although I probably wouldn’t know if it took me the long way.)

I’m from the generation that kept a folded map in the glove box. When MapQuest arrived, it felt revolutionary. Printing directions for a road trip was a game changer! Then came navigation systems. My husband bought me one immediately. We called her Colleen, and she was practically part of the family.

Last week, my trusty GPS guided me from Ankeny to Ames to Dallas Center to Indianola and back to Ankeny. Our intern, Layla, was along for the adventure, and I told her we’d probably end up lost in a cornfield if I lost my phone signal somewhere between Ames and Dallas Center.

All that windshield time got me thinking about how technology can make life so much easier. I spent zero minutes planning my route, compared to the time it would have taken to print directions—or worse, unfold and refold a paper map.

That’s exactly what we hope eQuip Hub does for foster and kinship families.

Launched last summer, eQuip Hub is an online marketplace where families can find donated bedroom furniture, nursery items, and baby gear. We’ve already seen countless examples of donated items finding a second life in a foster or kinship home. If you’ve never experienced a child arriving unexpectedly, it’s hard to imagine the relief of knowing you can quickly find a crib, dresser, stroller, or car seat when you need one.

My vision is simple: I want eQuip Hub to become the GPS for foster and kinship families.

When a family needs something for a child in their home, I want them to think of eQuip Hub before Amazon or Walmart. And when someone in the community wonders where to donate a crib, stroller, or toddler bed, I want the answer to be, “Foster SQUAD!”

To get there, we need your help. We need donors willing to share gently used items, financial supporters who can help us purchase items we can't accept used—such as mattresses and car seats—and community members who will spread the word about eQuip Hub.

Like any GPS, we won't always be perfect. But we're working hard to make sure families can find what they need, when they need it.

Join our SQUAD. Donate items, make a financial contribution, sign up to be notified of urgent needs, or simply share our social media posts. Together, we can make sure foster and kinship families have a trusted guide when they need support most.