Riedel Foundation grant to fund year of support programs for local foster families

Published 9:57 pm Monday, July 27, 2026

HANNIBAL — The George H. Riedel Foundation has awarded a $5,800 grant to Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries to fund a full year of activities supporting foster families in the Hannibal area.

The grant will support Coyote Hill’s Hannibal Community Groups, which meet monthly to connect foster parents and their children with other families involved in foster care. The programs include parent support sessions, activities for children, and life skills training such as cooking classes for older youth.

According to Coyote Hill, the Marion, Ralls, Monroe, and Lewis county region has about 220 children in foster care but only 140 licensed foster homes available. That shortage often forces children to be placed outside their home counties, which can disrupt visitation with biological parents, delay reunification, and require children to change schools or be separated from siblings. Foster families who take in multiple children to avoid such disruptions can face increased stress and risk of burnout, the organization said.

The Hannibal Community Groups aim to ease those pressures through several types of programming, including monthly parent support groups led by trained staff, experienced foster and adoptive parents, and mental health professionals; children’s groups facilitated by staff and trained volunteers; life skills classes for older youth; and shared meals, crafts, games, and other activities intended to strengthen family bonds and support emotional well-being.

The Riedel Foundation grant will fund a full year of these activities for the Hannibal Community Group.