Imagine being a kid and having to leave home – and leaving all of your stuff behind. No toothbrush. No teddy bear. Maybe not even your shoes.
This happens every day to children entering foster care says Janeen Holmes, president and CEO of the My Stuff Bags Foundation, a national nonprofit that fills duffel bags full of new belongings for these kids. “A lot of them are called trash bag kids, because they carry all their stuff around in a trash bag.”
My Stuff Bags volunteers regularly gather at the organization’s volunteer center in California to fill bags with donated items and ready them for shipping to organizations across the country, which then put them into the hands of kids rescued from dangerous home situations. Each bag includes toiletries like tooth brush and tooth paste, “something soft and cuddly,” a blanket, and other goodies such as school supplies or toys, says Holmes.
Last month, the organization got a bit of extra help. The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) – a program that evaluates toys, media and other children’s and parenting products – brought together more than 100 celebrity volunteers to fill 500 bags with items donated by NAPPA award winners. “We connect parents with the best products for their children,” says NAPPA general manager Julie Kertes. “It’s great to be able to get these same products into the hands of kids in need.” The event was sponsored by Smart Toys.
The day’s host was Leigh-Allyn Baker, mom of two, who is back from maternity leave to begin filming the fourth season of her hit Disney Channel series Good Luck, Charlie. “I can’t imagine these kids being taken from their homes,” says Baker, who gave birth to son Baker James in September. “I would love for them to know that Amy Duncan (her character on the show) stuffed their bag.”
You don’t have to be a celebrity, though, to pitch in and help. Turning out to stuff bags is one way, but you can also donate items from the My Stuff Bags Foundation wish list (available online at www.mystuffbags.org), or even cash – an essential that allows the foundation to purchase duffel bags to stuff, and covers shipping costs.
Items they’re looking for include stuffed animals, toys and games, toiletries, school supplies, clothes and blankets – purchased or hand-made. But Holmes says that the stuff, while helpful, isn’t really the important part. The most important thing you are sending a child when you donate time, money or goods to My Stuff Bags is a message: “A lot of people care about you.”
Christina Elston is the senior editor of LA Parent and a frequent contributor to Westchester Family.
