Local Churches, Communities Serve 100,000 Kids Nationwide Through CarePortal

Care-sharing platform connects vulnerable children with people who can help

Across the United States, churches and their congregation members are responding to the urgent needs of vulnerable children and families in their local communities. The ability to share, respond to, and fulfill real-time needs of kids in crisis was streamlined in March 2015 with an online care-sharing platform called CarePortal. Since its launch, churches nationwide have served 100,000+ children – enough to fill one of the largest NCAA football stadiums to capacity – using this innovative technology. Learn more about this incredible milestone. 

CarePortal was created and launched by Kansas City, Missouri nonprofit, The Global Orphan Project (GO Project). Government child welfare agencies and other child-serving organizations enter urgent, vetted needs into the digital platform that are then shared with local churches. Congregation and community members learn about the needs in real-time and respond with the resources to help.

 “There are so many people who care about kids and families in crisis, but they’re disconnected,” says Adrien Lewis, Chief Innovation Officer at GO Project and the founder of CarePortal. “They don’t know where to begin to help these children. That’s where CarePortal comes in. It connects agencies, churches, schools, and people who care, enabling them to rally around the real-time needs of vulnerable children and families where they live through the click of a button.”

Each year, over 4 million children are referred to the U.S. child welfare system due to family breakdown. More than 400,000 children are currently in the foster care system. In every community, you can find families who are struggling with employment, substance use, food insecurity, trauma, and physical or mental illness. They urgently need help to overcome these difficult challenges.

Today, more than 2,800 church response teams in 27 states are using CarePortal. Churches and community members have created a $33 million economic impact and helped stabilize and strengthen families in crisis, prevent children from entering foster care, and safely reunite children with their biological family.

Believers Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma was one of the very first churches to enroll in CarePortal and respond to needs. “I strongly believe that God has provided the Church with the ability to meet the social needs of a community,” says Sarah Freeman, member of Believers Church. “CarePortal provides the system to meet those needs as a Body in order to serve, connect with, and minister the love of Jesus to vulnerable children and families.” 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, the needs of vulnerable families skyrocketed as schools and businesses closed and people isolated for their safety. Since CarePortal was designed as a digital online platform, it was a readily available solution in a socially distant world. More and more churches started using CarePortal to meet increased needs quickly and serve more children.

“We have a front row seat to an amazing show,” says Lewis. “The Church and community caring for the most vulnerable around them, compelled by love for their neighbor. It doesn’t get much better than this.”

Mobilize your church, business, agency, and friends to meet real-time needs and build meaningful connections with vulnerable children in your community with CarePortal. Learn more at www.careportal.org.