Again this year, May is Foster Family Month throughout the United States.

Since last May, foster parenting has received lots of attention in Maine’s media. Unfortunately, most of that attention has been negative, the focus being on several cases of abuse while children were in the care of foster parents. The image of foster parenting was not enhanced by these events and subsequent coverage.

We believe that those few cases do not reflect the overall tremendously positive environment Maine’s foster families provide to more than 1,000 of Maine’s children who currently reside with foster families.

Caring, supporting, teaching and providing for children who are not your own is a difficult occupation, yet hundreds do these things day in and day out often without thanks.

We represent some local child-placing agencies in the Bangor area who want to say “thanks.” Matt Halloran St. Michael’s Center Bev Shumaker Community Health and Counseling Services Elin MacKinnon Good Samaritan Agency