Meet The Team

Anna Benak

Assistant Director

Anna is the Assistant Director at Fostering Hope. She is a mother to two sweet girls and is in the process to bring another sweet daughter home through international adoption.

Her heart for fostering started when her aunt began fostering, and she realized what a need there was in our community for foster parents. She believes that taking in a child and showing them that they are loved and important is an amazing opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Anna and her husband have fostered and served as a respite foster parent for several children. Fostering Hope has helped provide much needed assistance for her on multiple occasions, and she now enjoys helping others through this ministry.

Tina Johnson

Office Manager

Tina Johnson has been married for 29 year and has four children -Two biological and two adopted from foster-care. She also has 4 beautiful grandchildren.

Tina and her husband have fostered many children over the past 12 years and has provided respite care for my foster families over the past couple of years. She sees a great need for more foster parents to open their homes to children. This desire has led her to do what she can to help foster parents feel loved and supported.

She is so excited to be apart of Fostering Hope.

Melissa Wilhoit

Founder and Executive Director

Melissa and her husband Josh are the founders, and she is the Executive Director, of Fostering Hope.  They have seven children - two biological children, and five joined them through adoption by way of foster care!

God called the Wilhoits into foster care in 2012.  They know from experience that foster care can be difficult and overwhelming at times, so they want to help encourage and support foster families & children of the Wiregrass through Fostering Hope. 

Their vision of helping with tangible needs through a clothing closet has continued to grow, and they are now able to help support & assist in many other ways with the community’s help!