Remarkable Women 2025: Cheryl Flick helps countless families with WNY Foster Closet

HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) -- News 4 celebrates Women’s History Month by recognizing remarkable women in Western New York. This week's remarkable woman has helped countless families through her WNY Foster Closet, a store that offers free items to foster families.

Cheryl Flick started the closet about 15 years ago inside a church. It's since grown to a large space inside the McKinley Mall.

"We are at about 3,000 sq ft.," Flick said. "People come in all the time to shop not knowing we can't have them, because we don't sell anything."

They don't sell anything because everything there is free for foster families.

"We help any child who's been removed from their home through the court system and placed in either foster care, kinship or a 1017 situation, which means they were placed with family or someone that the child is familiar with."

Families can come in up to four times a year to get all the clothing they need for their foster children during the changing seasons, along with bedding, hygiene products and much more. Flick knows the struggle those families go through as a foster parent herself.

"When we accepted our first two kids in foster care into our home, they came with bags and bags of garbage," Flick said. "They were both school-aged and everything they bought was really old: ripped, stained, didn't fit them. It was not something we would feel comfortable sending them to school in, let alone them be comfortable wearing."

Cheryl and her husband, Dan, along with their three children at the time, started fostering in 2012.

"We wanted a larger family, but it just wasn't in the cards," she said.

Over the past decade, they have welcomed a total of 15 children into their home – "for a weekend, or forever," Flick said.

Their "forever" children came during the pandemic. The Flick family found out two of their foster children at the time, Nevaeh and her younger brother Tyler, would need a permanent home.

"I dropped to the floor crying," said Isabella Flick, Cheryl's daughter who's now 20. "It was the best news we've ever received."

The Flick family would grow to seven. Nevaeh was adopted on her 4th birthday, and a year later, Tyler was adopted one month before his 4th birthday.

"Your heart just explodes seeing the connection that all of them have," Cheryl said. "Our two daughters have an amazing connection. They are the best of friends. Our oldest who's 24 takes the youngest fishing all the time -- he'll come and pick him up and take him fishing."

"They are probably the best thing that has ever happened to our family," Isabella said. "They are just so perfect in every single way, and I just love having a little sister and little brother."

The entire family now helps with the WNY Foster Closet, which is jam-packed with items donated by the community.

"(We have) tops, bottoms, dresses, footwear, hygiene products, new blankets, some bedding, new stuffed animals and more," Cheryl said.

There is clothing and other items for all ages: babies through teenagers.

"We put a call out on our Facebook page and the community absolutely responds in a huge way," Flick said.

Cheryl posts live videos on the organization's Facebook page whenever they have updates, or when they need donations. She can also be seen in videos opening dozens of packages sent to them after making that call for items.

Each family that comes in can get two pairs of shoes. If it's wintertime, they also get a pair of boots.

"We want to give a shout out to New Car Dealers of WNY Charitable Foundation," Cheryl said in a Facebook live video from March 4. "We received our third grant, three years in a row from them. The first year we got $4,000, second year we got $6,000, (and) this year we got $8,000 to buy sneakers throughout the next year."

Before the school year starts, families who sign up can get a new backpack, water bottle, school supplies and brand new sneakers.

"At Christmastime, we do a huge Christmas drive and everybody who signs up comes in, without kids, and chooses five gifts per child," Cheryl said. "(They get) stocking stuffers, a game so that they can spend time together throughout the holidays, and then we always get all sorts of extra things in."

In a Facebook Live video from December, she said, "We have had people crying while they're shopping, crying while they're leaving (and) hugging all the volunteers. (They're) just so thankful for being able to provide a Christmas. If you don't think your one gift has made a difference, your one gift has made a difference this year. Never doubt the power of a gift."

The items that aren't taken for under the tree goes into a 'Birthday Room' at the WNY Foster Closet. On a child's birthday, they can go into the room and take two gifts.

And for everything she's done for foster families, Cheryl was recently honored with a massive gift of her own.

"I got a call one day -- I was actually volunteering at the Closet -- and my mom called and said, 'Sit down,' and I was like, 'I'm really busy,'" she laughed.

Her mom called to tell her Cheryl had won a brand new car from Hyundai's annual 'Salute to Heroes' contest.

"I was speechless for a little bit, and for several days," she said. "It took some time to sink in, that out of all these amazing people that were nominated, Hyundai chose me, out of everyone to be the recipient of the Hyundai Kona."

A viewer who saw News 4's coverage of that story nominated Flick for this Remarkable Women campaign.

So what's next?

Cheryl said she's so grateful for all the donors over the years, but she hopes someone reading this story can help her find a more permanent space for the Closet in the future.

"We are on our third location at this point and the fate of the McKinley Mall is unknown," she said. "We do a few fundraisers a year, but we're looking for a big donor to step up and help possibly fund a building so that we know we're secure to continue to help families in the long run."

To contact WNY Foster Closet, click here.