NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Christmas came early Saturday afternoon!
Close to 150 Nashville foster families drove through a Very Merry Christmas Parade, where foster children enjoyed everything from Christmas cookies to the chance to win a new bike.
Tennessee Alliance for Kids teamed up with local businesses, churches and other organizations including Metro Nashville Police and Nashville Fire, to make sure foster families felt the love this holiday season.
Watch snippets of the sweet parade in the player above.
"It's just nice to see how people care," said Shavonne Smith, a foster parent. "Definitely being a foster mom has been challenging with the expenses, so it's been nice to have an opportunity to see people and even kind of [have] fellowship with other foster families."
"A lot of time the children, if they're going from house to house, they don't have any consistency," added another foster and adoptive parent, Corita Edwards. "So when we go to these programs it gives them an opportunity to get gifts."
Fran Maynard, who organized the event with the Tennessee Alliance for Kids, said it's all a way for the community to show we care.
"Our family was a foster family, so I know firsthand what it's been like to allow people to love on us," she said."Just love on these families, they're doing hard work and these children that are going through hard times right now."
It's migratory season for billions of animals across the United States. That means millions of birds and butterflies will take a rest stop in Tennessee and Kentucky as they move south for winter. Tennessee state parks are working to create vital habitat for the migrating monarchs. You may be able to follow their lead around your home to help reverse a declining monarch population.
- Lelan Statom
