What if I told you that there was an amazing person who went through the foster care system and started a small chain of restaurants in Florida? Pretty amazing, right? I mean the statistics for success for former foster youth is bleak – Google them. Not only has this gentleman started restaurants BUT in holding onto his early years of being concerned about hunger he assures that no one – NO ONE leaves his restaurant hungry. He does this all while giving a percentages of his profits back to foster agencies to help more kids. His Facebook page also tells frequent stories of how former foster youth patronize his restaurant to get the chance to speak with Doug and have their souls fed and encouraged.
If you’re like me, you’re completely amazed by the owner, Doug. He has beaten the odds and statistics and is more than giving back to the community. He is assuring that the world is better off and improved.
Can you imagine my sadness when I saw several Facebook comments condemning the restaurants name, FK Your Diet, which stands for Foster Kid Your Diet? Now I can understand where folks minds have gone to with this name. I can understand that this play on words and letters is not “acceptable” to everyone. However, I am mainly disheartened that people would get so concerned about the abbreviation FK, yet they seem unbothered by children who have been traumatized to the point of exhibiting PTSD, sexualized behaviors, and a host of other nasty issues.
Underneath the Facebook image of a delicious sticky bun, one gentleman expressed that he had never eaten at FK Your Diet and would never give the restaurant business because the name of the restaurant was vulgar to him. He missed the entire mission of the restaurant. He refused to the hear the heart and the life-giving help being given by FK Your Diet. He chose to write a message which could tear down the restaurant and turn some people away from joining in the needed mission.
As a foster and adoptive dad, I KNOW that there are not enough people in the world helping foster families survive. There are not enough people offering to help a family succeed and thrive. However, there seems to be an abundance of people who would criticize those few trying to help. Eventually, those few helpful people die off to the criticism and there are even fewer folks to help.
Transfiguring Adoption and myself stand behind the mission of FK Your Diet. We would consider it a personal favor if you would follow them on Facebook and tell your loved ones about this restaurant. The next time you’re in Orlando, Florida (or the other Florida cities which have an FK Your Diet) we would be delighted if you would eat there and let them know that we sent you there way.
Please help us to magnify the efforts of those trying to help.
[Follow FK Your Diet on Facebook]
