With your help this year we are going to put together:

75 Comfort Bags for young foster kids

25 Comfort Bag for teenage foster kids

20 bikes for foster kids

15 Apartment Kits for foster kids aging out of the system

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Whew! Are you ready?

 

Comfort Bags for Foster Kids

When kids enter the foster system they are given two garbage bags in which to carry their belongings. Often these kids move from house to house, still using garbage bags. Comfort Bags are duffle bags for foster kids. They are filled with special items for the kids, and they provide a sturdy bag for them to carry their belongings.

 

Our goal is to put together 100 Comfort Bags for our local foster kids, and I need your help. The bags are $6.50 each and we are going to fill them up with donated goodies for the kids. Then the cases are distributed to foster kids in our area.

 

This year we are going to do 75 bags for younger kids and 25 bags for teens. I've started an Amazon wishlist ( https://amzn.to/32FWu2M ) to give you an idea what we are looking for. You do not have to order from this list (in fact most items can probably be purchased elsewhere for cheaper), and as I get donations in I will alter the list so it will always have our current need.

 

Items that we will need ( Amazon Wishlist: https://amzn.to/32FWu2M )

Children's books

Crayons

Coloring books

Blankets

Stuffed animals

Toiletry bags

Colored pencils

Journals

Adult coloring books

Water bottles

Knit hats and gloves

Anything else you think a kid would enjoy!

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Bikes for Foster Kids

This year, in addition to the Comfort Bags we are also going to build 20 bikes for older foster kids (ages 12 +), because having a form of transportation can help kids quite a bit once they've been placed in a foster home. The foster agency we are working with also said a bike is a great way for a foster kid to really feel at home with their foster family.

 

Apartment Kits

We are going to be assembling 15 Apartment Kits for local foster kids who are aging out of the system and transitioning to independent living. We want to give these kids a head start with a bunch of apartment essentials. We are aiming for a low amount of these kits because they are going to be a lot more expensive than the Comfort Bags we put together. Our goal is to keep assembling kits throughout the year, but we are starting with these 15.

 

I’ve made another Amazon Wishlist for Apartment Kits ( https://amzn.to/35Oopjl ) to give you an idea of the items we are wanting to include. However, I think all of these can be purchased for much cheaper from other vendors. Here is a list of some of the items:

 

Pots/Pans

Dishes

Silverware

Cups

Toaster Oven

Garbage Can

Towels

Blanket

Pillows

Sheets

Cleaning Supplies

Toilet Paper/Paper Towels

Laundry Basket

Garbage Bags

Anything else you think would be a good addition to a new apartment!

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If you can't donate at this time, but still want to get involved, we are going to need a lot of hands on deck to help us put together the bikes and assemble/decorate 100 Bags, 20 Bikes and 15 Apartment Kits. Let me know if you are interested in being a part of our Assembly Party in Roseville (time and location in November TBD). Last year we had quite an assembly line going in my house and it was great to see everyone getting to be a part of such a fun project.

 

Feel free to contact me at info@throwingstarfish.org for any questions about this project. Looking forward to another awesome year!