This bag is what I will refer to as a “placement bag” for this whole post. When a new foster child is placed in a home, this is the bag I take to them. Inside this placement bag is typically a blanket, a coloring book and crayons, a stuffed animal and a toothbrush. We do this because most of the time, kids come into care with VERY little of their own items. Lack of clothing is HUGE among foster children. They were either rushed out of the home or didn’t have a whole lot in the first place. Children ages 0-17 often times come into care with the clothes on their back and a backpack full of trauma.

I know some of you have bags of clothes and “old stuff” that doesn’t matter anymore waiting to be taken to Goodwill or a thrift store of some sort. While I have no ill feelings towards these places, reconsider where your old stuff is going to go. In each state there are multiple facilities you can donate to. Your “old stuff” could be a kiddos first opportunity at having something “new” to them. The stuff you have sitting around your home is never “too old” to donate to causes such as these. Adults— your clothing is NOT TOO BIG! Donate it all! Kids come in all different shapes and sizes. Donate your extra books, DVDs, CDs, CD players, board games, pillows, blankets, hats, gloves, coats, toys, ANYTHING.

It will have a value to them that surpasses any value it ever had to you. When I was young and placed in foster care for a short time, I was given a brand new pillow that probably cost $4 at Walmart. At the time, it was all my little brain could claim as my own. I am now 23 years old and still have that same pillow. Its stained, torn in a few spots, worn down and not really so much a pillow, but it’s still mine. 

I really encourage you to take a walk through of your home. What can you live without so that a foster kid can live with it? The 443,000 kids in care, nationwide, would appreciate any donation you come up with so that eventually, wherever they go next, this placement bag has a few more items in it that they can call their own. 

 

Please see attached links below and consider donating to one of these facilities:

https://www.mesaunitedway.org/helenshope/ –Arizona

https://forfamilieslikeus.org/clothing-donation/ — Indiana

(If you are a reader not in either of those states, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and I will get connected with a local donation center near you.)

 

 

Sincerely,

a girl who became more than a placement bag