The need to feel seen and loved is as basic as the need for food and water. Receiving a personalized package in the mail helps a traumatized child realize there’s someone—or a collective of people—who sees him.

This December, our small nonprofit organization, Craft + Boogie Collective, has a goal of making and delivering 180 Christmas-themed craft kits to children in foster care across the United States. Sixty of those kits will go to the SBPC Foster Hope Ministry in San Diego County, while 120 will be shipped directly to foster families' doorsteps—at absolutely no cost to them.

Why craft kits? Because we believe arts and crafts have the power to heal. In scary situations, such as the transition into foster care, the simple act of holding a paintbrush and putting paint to paper can help a child feel in control. Painting, creating, and crafting are all healthy ways to release emotions without words. Showing off finished artwork to a trusted adult can even boost a child’s self-esteem. (Remember how it felt to see your art hung proudly on the fridge?)

This holiday season, volunteers in Portland, Oregon will create and assemble the kits themselves. They'll have no big machines. No conveyer belts. No automatic counting or sorting devices. Just the loving hands and hearts of people who care about making kids happy at Christmas.

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A $10 donation covers the materials + shipping for one box.

$10 donation = 1 craft kit
$50 donation = 5 craft kits
$100 donation = 10 craft kits

The boxes shipping directly to foster families' doorsteps will include 6 craft projects and 10-12 coloring pages—enough for multiple children to share.

Thank you for helping us reach our goal of spreading love and joy to kids in foster care this holiday season!