Hope Pkgs provides first night backpacks for children entering foster care. They provide a new backpack, new pajamas, a new blanket, socks, underwear, toiletries and for younger children a toy or a book! They are extremely committed to providing for children and helping foster parents who may not have much time to prepare for the arrival of a foster child. Every item they provide is new which is meant to show these children that someone cares and that these kids are worthy! These are children that are pulled from a bad situation and put into a home where they may not know anyone and do not know what to expect. As a donor to Hope Pkgs, we have witnessed their daily dedication and are happy to help in anyway we can!
I first recognized the value of Hope Pkgs when we started doing Foster Care and the children that came to our home came with very few items, which caused us to have to go shopping for immediate needs. What’s nice about Hope Pkgs is that they have first night backpacks for kids that are coming into care for things like PJs underwear, socks toiletries that help the foster parents with that first night and help prep them for the next day
Hope Pkgs meets a desperate need in the foster community. They have touched the hearts of the local community as well as reached much further to bring awareness to the needs of youth in foster care. Our family is thankful to have the opportunity to support this amazing non-profit through monetary donations, gifts of backpacks and the items to fill them, and participating in their fundraisers.
The bags they provide for children entering foster care are filled with much needed items and love!
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Hope Pkgs does amazing work. They thoughtfully prepare these “first night bags” for children entering foster care. Imagine being a foster parent getting a call to take a child that has just been removed from his/her home. Not knowing what to expect. How do you prepare? And what a relief to have them arrive with brand new PJs, a blanket, underwear/diapers and more. And more importantly for the child. A beautiful bag of comforting supplies just for you during this time of chaos.
The founder of Hope Pkgs is devoted to making this happen. She works tirelessly to rally donors, supplies and volunteers to bring it all together. My number one nonprofit to recommend.
I volunteered to help put together bags with Hope Pkgs. It was amazing to see all the different ages and sizes of bags that they are able to supply agencies with. It feels great knowing that during a stressful time, a child or teen in foster care will not need to worry about the little necessities like toiletries, pjs, and even a nice cozy blanket or book.
This is a great nonprofit helping foster children who are in need of comfort in a difficult time. Lisa gives her all to be sure foster family’s & the children’s immediate needs are met. The little things like toiletries, pjs, clothes bring much comfort & helps ease the worries of the first night of placement into a foster home. It’s something the children can call their own. What a simple but amazingly thoughtful gift!
I can't image the horrors kids go through entering the foster care system, but I can help Hope Packages ease their transition with providing these kids with basic clothing and supplies on their first night in their foster home. I've donated back packs and supplies and know they're put to good use. Those collecting them are so appreciative, and I've seen the post and newsletters with pictures and thank you notes from child welfare agencies around the state saying the bags are making a difference to these kids!
Hope Pkgs. makes a huge difference in West Michigan. They continue to grow to meet the needs of kids in foster care. They provide tangible ways for others to make a difference in supporting kids and families.
We received a First Night bag from Hope packages when we had to foster kiddos come to our house one late Friday night. We had no clothes, no diapers, no PJs. We had nothing. The first night bags gave us a sigh of relief that we did not have to run out and grab necessities while they were transitioning to our home. They had already been through so much that running out right away would have caused them undue stress. Foster families do not know what ages they will be taking in and they never know when they will be getting that call. Thank you Hope Pkgs for all you do for foster families.
I have seen founder Lisa Hoeve from the start of Hope Pkgs gather broad community support for this vital organization. Being a foster mom herself, she has seen how traumatized kids can be by the time they arrive to their foster placement. First Night Bags provided by Hope Pkgs help ease the transition for kids and the placement families by providing basics that are often forgotten. Through committed community support, Hope Pkgs has grown to providing First Night Bags for foster kids in 19 counties.