Did you know that the vast majority of children entering foster care have to carry their belongings in garbage bags? There are more than 55,000 children in foster care in California today and due to limited financial means, Social Services cannot provide luggage to pack a child’s essential belongings before bringing them to a foster home. If no bags are donated, Social Services often uses trash bags out of necessity. It is tragic enough that a child has been abused or neglected, but to have all of his or her items put into trash bags can place a feeling of worthlessness on the child.

No child should feel like garbage, and no child should have to carry their belongings around in a garbage bag. That’s why Rinse is so proud to support and raise awareness for Bags4Kids, a southern California non-profit that provides foster children with “bags of hope.”

Bags4Kids and their work

The bags of hope that Bags4Kids provides are not just a means of transporting foster children’s possessions, but also include items of necessity and comfort to help these children during one of the most stressful periods of their lives.

Each bag of hope includes necessities that a child will need in their new home like a toothbrush and shampoo -- items they may not have had access to or been able to pack from their previous living situation. The bags also include items to bring them comfort and distraction as they adjust to their new home. Depending on the child’s age, the bags of hope can include items ranging from stuffed animals and other toys to art supplies, journals, books, and school supplies.

An opportunity to help

During the first week of March, 2020, Rinse was able to donate over 2,500 duffle bags to Bags4Kids to support their important cause.

If you’re familiar with our service, you know that we provide each customer with a premium duffle bag to use for their laundry. As we’ve grown, we’ve built up a very large supply and this spring we found a surplus of 2,500+ brand-new duffle bags. Through a member of the Rinse team, we learned about Bags4Kids, their incredible work, and their need for supplies -- including duffle bags!

Bags4Kids has already assembled and donated the first several hundred Rinse + Bags4Kids bags of hope to social service organizations and police stations throughout southern California. Even in the face of the coronavirus, Bags4Kids continues their work, providing comfort to some of the most vulnerable children in our community.

Make Mom Proud

Since our founding, one of Rinse’s core values has been to “Make Mom Proud.” We are so grateful and proud to support such a wonderful organization and raise awareness for their important work.

If you would like to learn more about Bags4Kids and how to support them, please visit https://bags4kids.org/.