Bags4Kids Foundation

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Nonprofit Overview

Causes: Children & Youth, Domestic Violence, Family Violence Shelters, Foster Care, Homeless & Housing, Human Services

Mission: For a moment, imagine stepping into the shoes of a foster child. You have just been taken from your home, your family, your friends, and everything you know. A stranger puts you in a car headed for an unknown place filled with unfamiliar people and things. Leaving everything behind, you are left with absolutely nothing. No warm hugs or teddy bears to take comfort in, no clean clothes to change into, and often times, not even a toothbrush - just the clothes on your back. You could be waiting for hours at a local police station or social worker's office before being moved by another stranger into another unfamiliar office or even a temporary foster home. At this time, you are terrified by your fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of your future. You have no books to read or a journal to write in to distract yourself from your scared thoughts or the pitying faces and whispers of the strangers that surround you. Now, imagine experiencing such intense fear, solitude, distress, and sadness when you are ONLY 4 years old. Experiences like these are not just stories. Experiences like these are real children facing incredibly confusing and terrifyingly real circumstances. Experiences like these are the reasons that Bags4kids was founded - to provide some form of comfort to the scared and distressed children left with nothing after being removed from their homes and families. Since its founding in 2002, Bags4kids has distributed over 27,000 bags to children, all filled with age/gender-appropriate items designed to comfort and entertain. Examples of these items are personal hygiene items, books to read or color, crayons, stuffed animals, school supplies, clothes, shoes, games, and blankets. These comfort bags are a blessing and allow for these children to have their own familiar belongings upon arrival at their new home.

Community Stories

10 Stories from Volunteers, Donors & Supporters

bags4kids General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

09/18/2017

Imagine if you had just been taken from your home, your family and your pets. You are put in the back of a car and are headed for the unknown. You have nothing. No warm hugs to console you,
no teddy bear to hang on to and nothing that gives you any comfort. You might be headed for a police station, a social worker's office or maybe even a Foster home.

At any of these places you would be scared and feel all alone. Maybe you'd even be at one of these places for hours before another stranger took you somewhere else.
And you are only four years old.
This is why our family started bags4kids...to provide them comfort and give them personal items to call "their own".

Review from #MyGivingStory

2

Writer Client Served

Rating: 5

11/24/2015

They're a great group who help anyone that needs it! They never say no and they never shut their doors on anyone.

2 Cars 4 Causes

Cars 4 Causes Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

10/01/2014

Bags4Kids is a wonderful organization committed to providing Comfort Bags to children who have been displaced due to neglect, abuse or abandonment. We are honored to support them through our Cars 4 Causes Vehicle Donation Program. It is our sincere pleasure to help Bags 4 Kids in their efforts to offer comfort to these children during a stressful time in their lives. Keep up the good work!

bob. Volunteer

Rating: 5

01/03/2014

Bags4kids is a life saver for the many young children going to a foster home with basically nothing, by giving the kids right off, a backpack filled with many personal and school items. Lets the kids know someone out there cares. I support Bags4kids by working with local retail stores to obtain backpacks and many of the items LaJuana needs to fill them.

hh1090 Client Served

Rating: 5

04/17/2013

Lajuana is one sweet, very kind woman, with a heart of gold. She has given tons of stuff to lots of children who are less fortunate. She has even given stuff for my kids like diapers, clothing, and toys. She has also given me clothing as well. She has put so many smiles on the faces of young children who were sad, and didnt have anything. Lajuana's foundation is a special one, don't see to many willing to help the way she does. Bags4Kids is the most wonderful non-profit organization i have seen in person.

Maureen26 Professional with expertise in this field

Rating: 5

04/17/2013

Lajuana is an Angel ! she brightens the lives of soooooo many children who otherwise wouldnt have the things they need without her...she is planting good memories to the children that need them most...it takes a special person to reach out to these kids..........LaJuana is that special person....Bravo to Bags4Kids for making a sad child smile.....my hat is off to her.....the world could use more selfless people just like her

Lori60 Donor

Rating: 5

04/17/2013

This is one organization that i absolutely love donating to and I ask others to donate to them also. The wonderful gal that runs it is very friendly and works her heart out. You can tell by everything she does that she puts her heart and soul in the Bags4Kids organization and reaches out to help all the peole she possibly can.

Denise Barker General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

04/16/2013

BAGS4KIDS is one of the few charities that REALLY cares .... the founder has a heart of gold and treats the clients as if they were her own. It ALWAYS warms my heart to see all the heart felt thank yous on my facebook newsfeed.... I don't know many who would take this mission so personally...its just what she does...no matter what time of day or night -- if there is a child in need..Bags4Kids will find a way to put a smile on their face. THANK YOU BAGS4KIDS!!!

1

MaryAnnLeBlanc General Member of the Public

Rating: 5

04/16/2013

Bags for Kids is a great non profit, what they do for foster kids is a life saver. The give a bag to foster kids, with so many great items such as photo albums, toys, health and beauty items. It gives the foster kids something to take to their new home that is theirs. Thank you Bags for Hids, you are an inspiration to all of us.

1

Ljnmsr Volunteer

Rating: 5

04/19/2011

I started bags4kids 8 years ago after seeing too many foster children coming into the system with only the few clothes they were wearing. I gathered 11 bags and filled them with items I thought might comfort a child, items too keep them busy if they were sitting at a police station for hours at a time, hygiene items and books and toys to call their own when they reached their new home. Since then-we have given out over 8,000 bags and hope to fill 8,000 more. Our bags are also given for "rewards" and for a foster child's birthday should the bio families not bring a present when they come for their visit.

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