In April, the Young Lawyers Section of the Jacksonville Bar Association organized a community-driven project to support recently reunited families.
The initiative involves assembling baskets filled with donated essential items for daily living and benefits Family Support Services of North Florida, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening families and fostering a safe environment for children.
Since 2001, FSS has provided services, resources, education and support to families and children in Duval and Nassau counties.
FSS partners with other community organizations, including the Florida Department of Children and Families, with the primary goal of keeping a child safe with their family and seeking home environments that provide the children with safety and stability. Sometimes, this is achieved through reunification or adoption. According to their 2024 Annual Report, FSS has helped 8,933 local families reunite.
The service project aims to assist families transitioning from foster care. With the goal of facilitating smooth transitions to reunification, the baskets are filled with critical items such as toiletries, kitchenware, cleaning supplies and personal care products.
The baskets also focus on comfort items to create a sense of normalcy and family. This includes ingredients to bake a cake to celebrate the reunification as well as a board game to play as a family.
Our hope is that this small gesture will make a meaningful difference during an otherwise turbulent time.
Throughout the project, members of the JBA and the local legal community came together to collect necessary items that were donated by local law firms and individual lawyers who generously stepped forward to help.
Members of the JBA Young Lawyers Section board of governors assembled the baskets at their monthly board meeting.
To learn more about how you or your business can continue to support Family Support Services of North Florida or contribute to future reunification projects, visit fssjax.org.
Julianna Favale is an attorney at Marks Gray where she focuses on intellectual property, municipal liability, medical malpractice defense and insurance defense.