Donations needed for ‘comfort cases’ to help foster children

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - A local organization is looking for donations to help children in foster care and in crisis around Central Virginia.

They're packing "comfort cases" to get local kids through tough situations.

The program was inspired by a video on Upworthy that's now been watched more than 104 million times:

"The thought that a child would be carrying around a trash bag with their belongings," said Lauren Cash, with RVA Comfort Cases, "it spoke to me."

Cash went all in to RVA Comfort Cases, a local branch of a program that packs bags for children so they have something to use to carry their belongings and a few basic necessities to call their own.

"I picture a child coming out of their home in the middle of the night in a crisis situation," said Cash, "... with, if they're lucky, a few belongings in a trash bag ... then I see the intake worker or the social worker handing them one of our bags … and maybe it won't change everything but in those worst moments, it'll make them smile."

Cash started out with a small goal of 30 bags in the first year and ended up packing more than 600.

This year she's setting an even loftier goal for the community - more than 800.

"It was such a success to see the bags go out," said Cash.

She said they were able to work with several counties and charities to get the bags out to the community.

"We really need toiletries," said Cash. "We really need blankets and we really need pajamas with the tags on it. We have more bags at this point than we have items to fill them. Another need is we need books."

RVA Comfort Cases will be holding a packing party to get the bags ready on May 5 at the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls.

Click here to learn more about the group.

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