Brewing Up Good in Jefferson City
On August 22, the Jefferson City community gathered for Battle of the Brews, a Saturday full of local food, drinks, and live music, where Coyote Hill was chosen as one of the event’s beneficiaries. The Jefferson City Chamber Leadership Class of 2026 presented Coyote Hill with a gift of $23,962.04 proceeds from the event.
Development Manager Kristin Milligan expressed her gratitude for the gift this way,
“It really is the gospel, right? It’s meeting the physical needs of the children and the families in the moment. It’s feeding the children. It’s taking strangers in. It’s loving them as Jesus loved us first.”
Kristin attended Battle of the Brews for the first time this year and experienced the event both as a community celebration and as a recipient of the community’s generosity.
“There was high energy. You could tell people were just enjoying it,” she said. “But then also being on the receiving end of such generosity. It’s overwhelming. I’m flabbergasted. Speechless.”
Family Advocacy Manager Hannah Riggs sees that impact firsthand, from providing meals when new children are welcomed into homes, to meeting tangible needs like school supplies and household items. Donations like these help children feel welcomed went entering a new home for the first time. The Battle of the Brews gift will help Coyote Hill continue responding to these needs, supporting children and strengthening our Family Connections Home.
“It means relieving the weight of stress or worry that comes with stepping into crisis with the children in foster care. Whether that be providing a meal so that a new placement can be fully the center of attention in that transition, or meeting the tangible needs going back to school, so a child doesn’t feel isolated or outplaced by not having what they need.”
Hannah recently saw that support firsthand when a foster family needed new dressers after the ones they had used for years had worn down. Several churches and community members stepped in, and brand-new dressers were delivered to the family.
“They didn’t have to carry the burden of budgeting for that or now need to take all their kids out to a store and shop for the need,” Hannah said. “We have been really blessed by the community support that relieves all of that.”
The gift from Battle of the Brews will help Coyote Hill continue responding to the needs of children and families, supporting children, strengthening our Family Connections Home and help children feel welcomed went entering a new home for the first time.
“It allows us to say yes to continued foster family events. It gives us the opportunity to build upon our Family Connections Home and make it as comfortable and accessible to all of our foster families as possible.”
Hannah said the support also reminds foster families that they are not alone.
“All of our gifts, whether they be spiritual, intellectual, financial, or just having certain hearts, everyone can serve and fill needs that our children and families face,” she said.
For Hannah, the community’s support at Battle of the Brews felt like an “outpouring.”
“We just felt a real outpouring of visibility, care, support, and an affirmation of our presence in Jefferson City,” she said.
Kristin added that gratitude is difficult to put into words:
“For a community built on kindness and love, who knows what it means to show up, knows what it means to come together and give back, because that’s what children in foster care need,” she said. “That’s what the biological parents need. They need people who say yes to them and who let them know that they matter.”
Coyote Hill is grateful to the Jefferson City Chamber Leadership Class of 2026, Battle of the Brews organizers, sponsors, volunteers and everyone who helped make this gift possible. Thank you for showing up for children and families in foster care and helping create safe homes where children can be safe, loved and free to grow.