Mineards’ Miscellany: Al Fresco Afternoon

Montecito Journal | April 18, 2013
by Richard Mineards

Angels Foster Care will host its second annual Al Fresco Afternoon on the Riviera, a benefit luncheon, in the gardens of the Four Seasons Biltmore. The event will take place on Friday, May3, at 11am. Guests are invited to shop in the Angels Marketplace, filled with items ranging from jewelry, home goods, fashion accessories, food items and florals, with a percentage of all sales going to Angels.

The luncheon will be served “al Fresco” and the menu is an array of European-inspired food from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. The event is held in celebration of National Foster Care Month and honors Angels foster families.

Since 2006, Angels Foster Care has rescued babies, neglected and abandoned babies and placed them in loving Angels foster homes in Santa Barbara County. The non-profit organization was established to caring, stable homes with a stay-at-home parent for children aged two and under (and their siblings up to age five) who are entering foster care for the first time. In seven years, Angels has placed 128 babies in local homes.

According to event committee member Sheela Hunt, numerous studies speak to the importance of infant attachment, which occurs when a child bonds to a consistent set of caregivers during his or her first 24 months of life. Angels foster parents take only one child (or sibling group) at a time and agree to keep the child until reunification with the birth parents or adoption occurs. A twelve-month commitment is usual, which allows the child to receive stable care and prevents movement within the foster care system.

Tickets are $125 per person or $1,250 for a table of ten, and may be reserved by visiting www.AngelsSB.com/alfresco, or by calling the Angels office at 884-0012.All proceeds from the event will fund training programs for Angels foster families and support the agency’s foster care program. Event sponsors include Coast2Coast Collection, Juliska, Vietri, The Biltmore Four Seasons Resort, Montecito Bank & Trust and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Due to critical shortages, there is an urgent need for certified foster homes. Information is available at www.AngelsSB.com.