There are about 900 foster children in Hamilton County (Cincinnati, Ohio). While watching a news story last year about the plight of foster children in the area, business owner Julie Whitney was moved to tears. She told Fox News, “What really moved me was the fact that the children stated that they themselves felt like ‘garbage’ when they carried their possessions in a trash bag as they moved in to their foster homes.” Whitney decided to take action.
Partnering with other local businesses, Whitney created “Cases for Love.” Residents are invited to donate new or gently used luggage of all kinds to the specified locations. The goal is to collect 1200 bags to distribute to foster children throughout Hamilton and Butler counties.
WKRC in Cincinnati spoke with Moira Weir, Director of Hamilton County Job and Family Services. She said, “Sometimes the children come very quickly and they might not have an opportunity to get their things together. They might not have things to bring, so what we like to do with each child when they come in to our organization is to put their things together in a nice bag because they might have brought them in a trash bag or whatever they have at home. We put them in a nice bag that they can take to their foster home or wherever they’re going.”
So when children are brought to family services they will have the gift of choosing, from among the donated bags, the one they like best.
