When children are entering foster care or are transitioning from one home to another, they are usually given a trash bag to put their belongings in. According to the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of East Hawaii, children are taken from their homes and placed into foster care for their immediate safety, at no fault of their own, and often remain in care until they become adults. They frequently change foster homes, and when moving, take none of their belongings, or the little that they have is placed into trash bags. Already experiencing sadness, trauma, and anxiety, children relate themselves to trash, like their belongings that are so frequently thrown into trash bags. Jade, a former foster youth, shared that it was hurtful and “it made me feel like I was the trash being carried around”. Kekoa, another former foster youth, agreed with Jade, and supports the idea of every foster child having their own duffel bag. Kekoa stated ”it’s the little things that make the biggest difference.”
Discount Fabric Warehouse has made it a mission to show these children that they’re worth more than just a trash bag. Throughout the year, we encourage folks to make duffle bags and bring them in for donation to organizations that help foster children.
Bag Requirements
While we encourage you to use your favorite duffle bag pattern or experiment with a new one, there are a few minimum requirements that we have for any bag donations:
24”x9” or larger, unused, made with new materials suitable for children ages 4 – 16. We suggest making the bags out of canvas as it’s typically sturdier, however lined cotton will work as well.
Patterns and Videos
Need a pattern to get you started? Here’s a simple duffle bag pattern by Jessie to help you out! Click here to download the pattern!
More patterns, videos, and instructions to come! If you attended one of our bag making sessions at any of our stores, please note that each store has a slightly different pattern that they like to share with their bag makers! If you misplace your instructions or patterns, please contact the store directly to request an additional copy. We hope to have all of the patterns and instructions added onto this site for reference soon!