When a child is taken into foster care, they can be ripped from their house in the middle of the night. They will show up to their new home with practically nothing. Kelly Hughes, a Pittsburgh foster mom, created a project over the holidays that had the goal of making a child’s first night less shocking. She planned to give kids something they could call their own. Kelly and her husband Andrew have fostered seven children. Kids usually show up with clothes that are dirty or too small and not many personal belongings.
A moment that inspired Kelly to start her project was when she asked her biological children to donate a few of their stuffed animals to make the arrival of the kids they were fostering feel comfortable. When it was time for a boy they were fostering to leave their home, he was able to take the stuffed animal with him. She said the boy was thrilled.
Kelly Hughes launched the Foster Love Project. The goal of the project was to provide bags of clothes and personal items that children would receive when they were in a new placement and could take with them when it was time to leave. She believes that it is a really big deal to be able to provide a bit of comfort to the child’s life. Hughes asked for donations on Facebook. She also partnered with the Bair Foundation, which is a foster care agency. Each placement bag being created includes a backpack or small duffle bag, a blanket, a stuffed animal, pajamas, a toothbrush and toothpaste, kids bath soap and puff, and a book. Restaurant gift cards were also being donated. Chick-fil-A donated $1,000 in gift cards. More than 800 people have participated in the project, some even making multiple bags. The Hughes family’s biggest message from this project is that kids are not disposable or forgotten. They are cared about and matter. Article about it in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
http://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2014/12/16/Making-foster-care-a-little-more-special/stories/201412070071
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