Our Mission
At Village and Vessel, we believe that every child deserves a safe, loving, and permanent home, and that finances should never be a barrier to answering God’s call to foster or adopt.
We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the adoptive and foster families of the Carolinas by providing targeted financial grants that address the significant costs associated with opening their hearts and homes.
Our mission is two-fold, embodied in our name:
To be a "Village" for God's Children: We provide the supportive financial foundation necessary to ensure children in the foster care system—and those awaiting adoption—can transition into or remain in stable, loving family environments. We aim to surround these children and families with the practical aid they need to thrive.
To be a "Vessel" for God's Work: We empower adoptive and foster families to faithfully answer God’s call to care for the vulnerable. By alleviating the financial burdens—from agency fees and legal costs to necessary home modifications and therapeutic support—we enable families to act as willing conduits for divine love and provision.
Why We Exist
The journey to adoption and foster care is often filled with steep financial requirements. Village and Vessel exists to bridge this financial gap, ensuring that loving, committed families are not prevented from moving forward due to cost. We transform the barrier of expense into an open door for families and a safe haven for children.
In summary, Village and Vessel’s mission is to remove financial obstacles so that more children in the Carolinas find a forever family, and more families that feel called can confidently live out their faith through foster care and adoption.
Our Vision
A Carolina where every child has a permanent, loving family, and where the financial burden of foster care and adoption is never the reason a family says "no" to a child in need.
meet the team
Our team at Village and Vessel is a dedicated group of individuals with a wide range of expertise and background. From our team members who bring creativity and vision, to our organized and diligent team members who ensure no detail goes missed, each member plays a vital role in making V&V happen. We take pride in our collaborative spirit, seamless teamwork, and shared confidence in the Lord’s guidance in all things. Get to know the faces behind Village and Vessel – the hearts hoping to impact the adoption and foster care communities in the Carolinas in big ways.
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Co-Founder
I’m Hannah and I am so, so glad that you are here!! My husband, Zach, and I have been married for just over 5 years and we have the sweetest three-year-old named Evy and are expecting our second addition in February 2026. I work as the Director of Worship for our church, but spend a lot of my spare time working with my girls over here at V&V. The best part about adulthood has been finding friends with similar passions, and V&V is a direct result that! Adoption has always been in the plans for my little family and when we officially adopted our daughter in 2022, I knew that I wanted to be a part of adoption in a bigger way. After experiencing the process firsthand, I knew that there had to be a way to lighten the load for these families stepping up to answer the call of adoption. It’s truly from the heart of myself, Barb, and Sha’ron that the mission of V&V was born and it’s the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside of them in an area that we each care so deeply for.
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Co-Founder
My name is Sha’Ron Barfield. I'm a wife to my wonderful husband, Buck, and a stay-at-home mama to our two precious daughters, Sophia and Eliza. The girls have truly opened my eyes to the blessing of family and seeing the world through their innocent eyes has reminded me of the importance of love, compassion, and community.
I have a beautiful family that includes adopted siblings-in-law, aunts, nephews, a niece, and many cousins. Their stories, and the journeys they've been on, have touched my heart deeply. It's opened my eyes to the challenges and blessings that come with adoption. I am so excited to work alongside my friends as we pursue this mission to help financially support families on their foster & adoption journeys.
Through your generosity, we can create a village of support for these families, ensuring every child has the loving home they deserve. Together, we can be vessels of God's love, offering hope and a brighter future. Thank you for being a part of this incredible mission!
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Co-Founder
It's me, Barb. I'm the 3rd member of the V&V team and really honored to be apart of it. My husband and I share one little girl and are currently working alongside an agency to bring home a second babe through adoption later this year. I've been passionate about adoption since I was a teenager. I believe so deeply that not only do all children deserve safe homes, but that all birth moms deserve to know their children are going to safe families.
As we've walked through our adoption, we've learned that so many people are curious about adoption but have no idea where to get involved. So often families shy away when they learn of the expenses, but being in the middle I've learned that the initial cost is just a small component in a much larger experience. There are so many methods to gather funds for adoption through grants and fundraisers. Here at V&V we pray that those with their hearts in the right place, will not have to turn around because of their financial situation.
There are pieces of the adoption process in America that aren't perfect and we hope to be apart of the positive change by supporting adoptions and working to educate our community on what adoption truly looks like. Adoption is a beautiful display of the gospel and all Christian's are called to be involved in supporting children, especially orphans. I pray through V&V we will see great impact here in York county and see the support of birth-parents, adoptees, and adoptive families.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Village and Vessel was never something that we had planned, but was more of an immediate obedience to something God had revealed to us very suddenly. After working really hard as a team to fund Barb’s approaching adoption, we all felt a pull to something more, something bigger than ourselves. About 5 days after this initial conversation, Village and Vessel was born.
Dream it
It all started with hearts that cared deeply for adoption and foster care and very quickly turned into vision boards, late night meetings, paperwork, and event planning.
Build it
Crowd funding doesn’t just happen - if it did, there would be a million more families willing to foster and adopt. Using our individual experience and guidance from the Lord, our goal is to lighten the financial weight in this community so that more people can say YES to caring for the orphans.
James 1:27