This is one of a series of stories about the nonprofit agencies that receive money from The Gazette/El Pomar Foundation Empty Stocking Fund campaign that runs through the holidays.

The Barrish family could easily have been complete with two kids, but that didn’t stop Bob and Kay from making the decision to adopt.

With assistance from Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains, the Barrishes adopted three children.

“We targeted teenagers,” said Kay Barrish, “because we know there are a lot of teens out there in need of forever homes.”

Lutheran Family Services provides assistance with adoption, foster care, pregnancy counseling, child abuse prevention and teen pregnancy prevention, among other services. It has been serving children and families in the Rocky Mountain region since 1948.

Barrish, who is in the military, said that her husband researched various organizations before determining that Lutheran Family Services was the best match.

“They were our certification agency telling the state that we had met all the necessary criteria to adopt,” she explained. “They helped us work with the other counties where our children were from and have provided a lot of support.”

Certain milestones must be reached before final adoptions can occur. Barrish said she and her husband did everything necessary to quickly reach them to move the process along. This included taking classes and becoming certified foster parents.

The agency continues to offer support by hosting events to bring adoptive families together.

“We’re able to network with other families,” she said. “There’s a family that lives half a mile away that we would probably have never met without Lutheran. They’ve been a great support system for us.”

The three Barrish adoptions took place within the past five years. Their son was adopted from Pueblo County and a few months later they adopted their daughter from Weld County. Within two years, they were able to adopt their daughter’s older sister. With their two biological children, the Barrishes now have five teenagers in the house.

“It’s always exciting,” Barrish said.