Providing essentials to foster children and youth

Suitcases of Hope is a charity dedicated to giving a large duffel bag to a child just entering the foster care system.

Unfortunately, social services do not have the financial means to purchase suitcases or duffel bags to pack a child’s meager belongings before being brought to a foster home. If they do not have any donated duffel bags/suitcases, social services must use trash bags. It is horrific enough that a child has been abused or neglected, but then to have all of his/her belongings placed into trash bags places a feeling of worthlessness on the child. It makes him/her feel like garbage.

Ashley understands how it feels as her belongings are placed in large trash bags, as this happened many times. Her goal is to eliminate TRASH BAGS as an acceptable form of luggage for foster children whose lives have been disrupted due to no fault of their own.