Agency for Change : A Podcast from KidGlov

Changemaker Leigh Esau, Founder, Foster Care Closet of Nebraska

• KidGlov • Season 1 • Episode 271

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When children enter the foster care system, they often arrive with little more than the clothes they’re wearing. For Leigh Esau, founder of Foster Care Closet of Nebraska, that reality is deeply personal—and it’s what inspired her to create an organization focused on restoring dignity, choice, and compassion for youth in crisis.

In this episode of Agency for Change, host Lyn Wineman sits down with Leigh to explore her lived experience in foster care, her journey into purpose-driven leadership, and the powerful impact Foster Care Closet has across the state of Nebraska. Leigh shares moving stories of children who have “shopped” the closet, explains why brand-new clothing matters, and discusses how the organization supports foster and kinship families during some of their most challenging moments.

Leigh also opens up about a critical turning point for Foster Care Closet, including the urgent funding challenges the organization is facing—and what’s at stake if community support doesn’t step in.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that dignity can change lives—and that meaningful change happens when communities show up together. 

Welcome to the Agency for Change Podcast

Connect with Leigh and Foster Care Closet of Nebraska at: 

·       Website – https://fostercarecloset.org/

·       Make a Donation – https://fostercarecloset.networkforgood.com/projects/244758-2025-year-end-giving

·       View Foster Care Closet’s Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1UFYICF88PL7Y/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2

Connect with Leigh and Foster Care Closet of Nebraska at: 

·       Website – https://fostercarecloset.org/

·       Make a Donation – https://fostercarecloset.networkforgood.com/projects/244758-2025-year-end-giving

·       View Foster Care Closet’s Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1UFYICF88PL7Y/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_2

Leigh Esau: 0:01

We're not going anywhere. We're in this fight for these kids.

Announcer: 0:14

Welcome to Agency for Change, a podcast from KidGlov that brings you the stories of changemakers who are actively working to improve our community. In every episode, we'll meet with people who are making a lasting impact in the places we call homes.

Lyn Wineman: 0:38

Hey everyone, this is Lyn Wineman. Welcome back to another episode of the Agency for Change podcast. Today I am excited to introduce you to someone who is doing really meaningful work in the community where I live, which is Lincoln, Nebraska. Our guest is Leigh Esau, and she is the founder of Foster Care Closet of Nebraska. And if you've never heard of Foster Care Closet, get ready because Leigh has created a space where kids entering the foster care system can choose brand new clothing and essentials at a moment when they often have nothing. She is providing dignity, comfort, and compassion all wrapped up into one incredible mission. And in this conversation, Leigh is going to share some fantastic stories. She's going to talk about why this work matters so much, and she's going to share the urgent challenges her organization is facing right now. Leigh, I can't wait to talk to you today. Welcome to the podcast.

Leigh Esau: 1:53

Thank you. Thank you so much for having us.

Lyn Wineman: 1:55

I have been looking forward to talking with you, Leigh, because I have heard about Foster Care Closet of Nebraska for years, but the two of us have not met before now. Can you start by telling us more about Foster Care Closet and the mission behind it? 

Leigh Esau: 2:14

Sure. So Foster Care Closet started, I started the organization in 2006. It is an organization born of my own passion and lived experiences. We are passionate about restoring dignity to youth in crisis with our focus.

Lyn Wineman: 2:33

I love that. That is a great thing to be passionate about.

Leigh Esau: 2:37

Yeah. Our focus is for youth who are in foster care. 

Lyn Wineman: 2:43

Okay. So Leigh, why is this work of supporting children and families in the foster care system so important right now?

Leigh Esau: 2:54

Oh gosh. That's such a great question. For me, obviously, as I stated earlier, it's born of personal experience. And so I was once one of the children in the foster care system, albeit in a different state. And I was adopted by age seven, so I did not age out or experience foster care at an older age. But we also fostered, my husband and I fostered for about 13 years. And through our experience in fostering, we had four that were unable to be reunited back home. And we adopted them. And so we have a family of six kids and dog and a cat.

Lyn Wineman: 3:43

I love it. That sounds like a big and from your giggle right there, a fun family. I imagine slightly chaotic, as many families are. That's I think what makes it fun. So if you're comfortable, I'd love to hear more about your lived experience, Leigh, both as you as a child going through foster care and you as a foster care parent.

Leigh Esau: 4:08

Yeah, well, thank you. I'm happy to share my experience as a foster youth. I spent the first seven years of my life in care. I know very little about my own biological family. And back in the late 60s, early 70s, when I was in care, we didn't have all of the things that are in place now, such as therapy and the records weren't passed along. So I really don't have a lot of knowledge of my own biological situation to what led to being in care. What I can tell you is that it definitely shaped my the course of my life, even even in those very early years. And then because of how it affected me personally, I knew that I wanted to one day become a foster parent. I had to walk through a lot of my own healing journey. Yeah, took about 14 years to walk through that process and get to the other side in a healthy way. And once I got through that, we felt, my husband and I, felt like it was time. And so we began to foster. And then what really kind of led to the whole Foster Care Closet was that one of the things that we noticed in our 13 years of fostering is that almost always kids show up at your door with only the things that they're wearing, they have very few belongings. A perfect example was we took in a sibling strip of three. The there, it was twin girls who were three at the time, and a baby who was two months.

And you know, the baby showed up in the sleeper that she was wearing the and the diaper. There was no supplies, there was no formula, there was no bottles, there was there was nothing, no car seat that was left with her. And then the twins came and we had just had a major snowstorm, and they were wearing little croc shoes and light jeans, and short sleeved shirt with a windbreaker. So that's what led to immediately going, there's gotta be a better way to help these kids transition into care. And so that's that that particular story is the story that led us to say, we've got to do something better. This is this is not okay.

Lyn Wineman: 7:11

Leigh, as I was preparing to talk to you, I spent some time on your website for Foster Care Closet of Nebraska and on your social media. And on your social media, there is a story or a quote from a family who said, we spent three to four hundred dollars the first night that we were foster parents. And so, you know, that made me think, wow, what would you spend three to four hundred dollars on? But you just put that right into perspective: formula, diapers, coats, shoes, clothes, pajamas, all the things that kids need. And at the most or one of the most vulnerable times in their life, if they don't have that, I mean, that's not only a dignity issue, it's a safety issue as well. So can you talk me through, what does it look like? You know, if when a family comes in and foster youth come into Foster Care Closet, what is their experience like? What do you do for them?

Leigh Esau: 8:22

So we are focused solely on providing the basic needs, primarily clothing. So when a youth is shopping with us, they get to shop up to two times a year, once during spring/summer and once during fall/winter.

Our focus is to help set them up successfully for the next season. And so when they shop with us, they get a full wardrobe. And what that looks like is it's five tops and bottoms, it's seven pairs of socks and underwear, it's a pair of shoes, it's a seasonal jacket. So we're in the middle of winter right now, and so it's gonna be a winter coat and a pair of pajamas, and everything that we provide out of the doors of the Foster Care Closet are brand new items only. We believe that that brand new is what restores dignity. It says to our kiddos that they are valuable, that they deserve the opportunity to be the first ones to wear the clothes rather than feeling like I have to I have to wear whatever somebody else has decided to donate that you know they feel I'm worthy enough to wear. And so one of the things we really strive to to do in a subconscious manner is elevate the level of what we see the value of the kids being.

Lyn Wineman: 10:09

That's amazing. That's quite a wardrobe to get started with, too. I mean, certainly not excessive by any means, because I also imagine the last thing foster care families have time to do is laundry every single day as well. And so that seems like a great advantage for the kids who participate. I'm really curious. I'm touched, honestly, in hearing your personal story and the work that you do. But I'm also really curious, I imagine over the years, you have witnessed several incredibly meaningful moments. I'm curious, could you share a story that stands out from you from a child that has shopped the closet?

Leigh Esau: 10:57

Absolutely. So I don't know if your listeners are aware, but the Foster Care Closet actually serves the entire state of Nebraska. We have a mobile that we take out and we partner with various community partners. We have seven stops that we make each season all across the state of Nebraska that's outside of Lincoln. The stories that we have an opportunity to hear come all the way from Scottsbluff to North Platte to Norfolk to Fremont. And so one of the most recent stories, we had a young man who was staying in a shelter. And so one of the things we've started doing because we want to make sure that we have a good pulse on how are the kids feeling, how are our youth feeling about what we're providing? So we do just a little question when they walk in and we ask them, how do you feel before you've shopped? How do you feel about coming to us to get clothing? And this particular young man said that he felt, you know, he felt okay. It was okay. And he spent about 30 to 45 minutes shopping. One of the things that I think is also important for your listeners to know is that again, in restoring dignity, dignity is choice and voice. So it's very important to us as an organization that youth get to shop for themselves.

And so he was in there, he was picking out his own clothing, his likes and dislikes, you know, he had an opportunity to feel the textures of the clothing. Many of our youth have sensitivity issues, and so we want to make sure that they're wearing clothing that doesn't add to a heightened sensitivity. And so he shopped, he got everything that he could. And then we also have bonus items like backpacks and personal hygiene items. Generally, we have a fleece blanket for the youth as well. And after he was all done and we were bagging up his clothing for him, we asked him, how do you feel now that you've had the opportunity to shop? And he said he was excited, he was really surprised at not only the choice of clothing that was available for him, but also the quality of the clothing that was available. And I took it one step, I took yeah, I took it one step further and I asked him, would you recommend us to any of your peers who are experiencing foster care? And he just beamed and he was like, yes, I 100% would. Oh um, and then he he happened to notice on my desk was some diamond art, and he goes, Oh, you do diamond art? And I was a little caught off guard by that, but I was like, yeah, I said, Do you like doing diamond art? He's like, Yeah, but since I've been here, I haven't been able to. And I happened to have extra diamond art projects that I was more than happy to share. So you know, we try very hard to listen and connect with our youth, and so that particular story, it he was uh it was awesome that he was able to get the clothes he got, but it also was it wasn't just the clothes, it was the connection that was happening and us listening to him and being able to take that one step further. And I think as we do the our service across the state, as we provide that, that's really where our families are connecting. They are not a transaction to us. We're not we're not looking at them as oh, we're serving Johnny today, and that's number 520. It's we get to serve Johnny and we're there to walk alongside the caregivers. I don't know how aware your listeners are in regards to foster care, but one of the one of the trends that has been slowly evolving is moving youth into a kinship or a relative placement versus that traditional stranger care, foster care. And as that transition is happening, what we have to remember and be cognizant of is that not all relatives or kinship caregivers have had the training that traditional foster parents go through. And because of that, they often don't know what other resources are available to them to help support the youth that they're caring for. So we are also standing in the gap, walking alongside, making sure that we're helping them connect to other resources if appropriate.

Lyn Wineman: 17:10

You know, Leigh, in addition to what I just heard you say, I mean, helping the kiddos, standing in the gap with kinship caregivers and helping connect people to resources. I also think about some of the work we do at KidGlov that is trauma-informed or public health campaigns that are designed to help overcome trauma. And I think about the experience you suggested where it took 14 years of healing. You know, a gesture like this, I imagine can help make that healing process happen maybe sooner or more quickly. But I also know another trend in foster care right now is that there are rarely enough foster care parents available, particularly for older kiddos. And I don't know a single foster care parent I know of that is just flush with resources, right? And so if every time you expand and take on foster care youth, you're spending several hundred dollars to come bring them in. That also is not it's just not possible for very many families right now. So I mean, I can see loads of benefits to the work that you're doing and the compassion that you're providing. And Leigh, one thing I know is right now is a particularly difficult time for almost every nonprofit, but I understand your organization is facing a very urgent moment, and we're recording this towards the end of 2025. But could you tell us what's happening right now that makes community support so essential for you?

Leigh Esau: 19:07

Yeah, well, thank you for asking that question. We for the past 12 years, we had been partnering alongside of DHHS and providing that initial wardrobe as youth entered into foster care. And we also helped provide a what we called the Foster Haven, which was located inside the BraveBe new remodel. And the department decided that they were going to go a different direction. And so our contract was not extended, and we were it found. It sounds kind of odd to say this, but we actually were in a better position than maybe some other nonprofits, and that only half of our budget took a hit. We lost about $364,000 when that contract was no longer extended. That does not mean that the need for our service went away. And so where we're at now, in 2024, we served 2,180 youth across the state of Nebraska.

Lyn Wineman: 20:42

2,180 youth. And then I multiply that by all of the items you said earlier that you are providing foster youth when they shop. That's a lot. That's a lot of funding. A lot of people who are helped, a lot of impact that's made, Leigh.

Leigh Esau: 21:04

Yeah. And we're very proud of that. What we're heartbroken about right now is that obviously that funding, there's only one way for that, for our sustainability to be able to go. And that is in the in that we have to decrease the number of youth that we can serve while we build up the fundraising necessary to cover that 360,000. So this year, we believe we're gonna reach about 1,800 youth. And then next year, so for 2026, without significant help from the community, we're looking at serving right around 1100-1200 at most.

Lyn Wineman: 22:07

That leaves a thousand, that's a by my math, a thousand less kids. So Leigh, I know we have got some very generous listeners from across the country. If they're listening and inspired to do something, I know you're really looking at end of year 2025, but I imagine you could use support in helping these kiddos any time of year. What's the best way to connect with you and make a donation? What kind of donations are you looking for?

Leigh Esau: 22:42

So obviously, monetary donations are the number one thing. And I want to explain that a little bit if I can to your listeners. The reason that the monetary donation is so helpful is that we purchase the new clothing through wholesale vendors. We have relationships that we've built with them over the last five years. And that's how we're going to be able to continue to make our dollars stretch as far as possible. So if you go back for a minute and remember all of the wardrobe, the five tops and bottoms, seven pairs of socks and underwear, pair of shoes, seasonal jacket, pair of pajamas, that whole package costs us on average $350 to provide.

Lyn Wineman: 23:40

Leigh, I have to admit, I was adding that up as you were saying it. And I was like, oh my goodness, that's a lot per child. But I imagine I could take $300 to Target and buy a fraction of that or Walmart or Kohl's or just pick any retailer. Whereas you, with these relationships you have with wholesalers, can really stretch that dollar as far as possible.

Leigh Esau: 24:06

Correct. And so that's why I mentioned that that's our, that's the number one way to help us. Now we understand that there are people who love shopping, and we never want to discourage them from doing what they love to do. And so obviously, checking our website, fostercarecloset.org, is a great place to look for our Amazon wish list that is that is kept up to date. So if you want to purchase something, you can go and do it through that. Or obviously you can go and purchase something that you really feel resonates with a youth in particular and and donate that. The other areas that are very helpful to us is we do not use dollars to purchase items like the hygiene kits, the backpacks, the fleece blankets. We do ask specifically for people to do drives to collect those kinds of items or to purchase them on their own and donate those items. And of course, fleece blankets are a great project for service groups to work on and then donate. So hopefully that that answered your question.

Lyn Wineman: 25:38

That's fantastic. So everyone, we will have that link, fostercarecloset.org, in the show notes for this episode. But Leigh in particular is looking for monetary donations so they can really stretch those funds out for the kiddos, shopping items, looking at that Amazon wish list in particular, or hosting a drive for fleece blankets, hygiene items, backpacks. Thank you for making that so clear for us, Leigh. And I'm just gonna put it out there. KidGlov is really excited about this. We have a book on the market right now. It's called Untangling Spaghetti, A Branding Fable. And our intent is to donate the proceeds of that book from the month of December to Foster Care Closet. So watch for that, Leigh, as well. We are happy to support you and your work in this way. 

Leigh, I'm gonna switch gears here for a minute. I almost hate to switch gears, though, because you have such a riveting story and such a compassionate mission. But I have asked this one question for every episode of the Agency for Change podcast. And I don't want to stop now because you are a very inspiring person, but our listeners know I am inspired by motivational quotes, and I am looking for a Leigh Esau original quote to inspire our listeners. 

Leigh Esau: 27:18

I I feel it too. I am definitely a person that just does not, I I don't let challenges stop me. I don't love challenges, but they are not something that's gonna keep me from continuing to figure out how to take the next steps forward. I think what I have been saying the most recently is that we're not going anywhere. We're in this fight for these kids, mainly because I feel that their voice needs to be heard, and I feel like I've been granted a platform to be able to speak on behalf of what we see and how we how we experience when youth come into shop with us the importance of never forgetting that dignity should be extended to everyone, regardless of age, sex, you know, race, religion, any of that. And so I guess my short little quote would be I'm not going anywhere. The closet's not going anywhere. 

Lyn Wineman: 28:48

Leigh, I love that. I love the fight in you, you know, knowing you are a nonprofit leader and a founder of that nonprofit. You've got that entrepreneurial spirit, that mission-mindedness. I feel that in you. And I am so pleased to have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on your story and the work of Foster Care Closet. As we wrap up this conversation today, I'd love to end with having you tell me what is the most important thing you would like our listeners to remember about the work that you're doing.

Leigh Esau: 29:25

I think it just goes back to we are passionate about restoring dignity to youth in crisis. And we believe that voice that voice is choice, and so we offer that through the shopping experiences to our youth.

Lyn Wineman: 29:49

Leigh, that is beautiful. I appreciate the time you have taken with us today. I am wishing you all the best and just am manifesting that loads of money is heading your way. I fully believe the world needs more people like you, Leigh, and more nonprofits like the Foster Care Closet of Nebraska. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

Leigh Esau: 30:16

Thank you so much for the for the opportunity.

Announcer: 30:21

We hope you enjoyed today's Agency for Change podcast. To hear all our interviews with those who are making a positive change in our communities, or to nominate a change maker you'd love to hear from, visit kidglov.com at kidglov.com to get in touch. As always, if you like what you've heard today, be sure to rate, review, subscribe, and share. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.