Giving foster children something to call their own.

Backpacks of Hope is an initiative of Our Father’s Hope. The backpacks project was started in 2014 by then 10 year old Eden King. The year before, her family was adopting a baby in a NICU. While in the waiting room, Eden was given an activity bag made by a local Girl Scout troop. She wondered how she could start something similar. Because of her family’s involvement in foster care, she decided to create something to help this population.

When children enter foster care, they often do so with little to nothing to call their own. If the child has anything to take into his new home, it’s usually shoved into a garbage bag. On the other end, foster families often don’t know the age or gender of a child coming into their home until just before the child arrives. Having a backpack with supplies and comfort items gives the child something to call her own and helps the new family with everything a child would need for the first night, giving them time with the child rather than needing to run to the store right away.

We work with Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, York, and Lebanon Children and Youth agencies, supplying them with filled backpacks to be given to children transitioning into care. Each backpack contains pajamas, a blanket, a stuffed animal, toiletries, and a flashlight. Then the bag is stuffed full of anything else appropriate for a child or teen of that age. You can donate just one item or a complete backpack. We will tag them and donate to local CYS offices.