Second Bridge serves as a path for foster kids and the community that wants to help them
CHICAGO (CBS) -- This is a story that proves out of heartbreak can come hope.
It began with a Chicago area case that stunned the nation: The murder of five-year-old AJ Freund of Crystal Lake.
His face was captivating. The young boy, once a foster child, who died in his own home at the hands of his birth parents. The child's neighbors in Crystal Lake wanted to find a way to honor AJ and help other children in need.
They turned their grief into action and grew a non-profit that makes sure items like these get to foster kids and their families, to make their new lives easier.
It's called Second Bridge and CBS 2 caught up with its very busy founder, Alicia Wehby.
"We view ourselves as a bridge between the needs of the foster families and the community that wants to help them," Wehby said. "We identify the needs and then we reach out to the community and find those resources and supplies."
Alicia Wehby and her husband have one biological daughter and fostered three brothers whom they later adopted. They couple is also guardian to a 17-year-old daughter. Wehby said she knows first-hand how hard life can be for foster kids in the beginning.
"They're not just sleeping over at grandma's house. They're going to a home where they know nobody," Wehby said.
Second Bridge has help for them.
"Anything we can give them to give them some sense of comfort, new sheets, a new pair of pajamas, a little stuffed animal to cuddle with," Wehby said. "A toothbrush and basic necessities."
It all started in 2019 with the "Stuff the Duffle" campaign. Alicia Wehby sent out flyers and Facebook posts to friends and neighbors. She hoped to fill 20 backpacks with toiletries, clothes and other basic needs for kids transitioning into foster care.
The response was huge, and now Second Bridge sends helps to 2,000 foster kids a year.
"We have a warehouse in downtown Crystal Lake that all of our inventory is held at," Wehby said.
The families are actually able to come there and shop for free or we just use it as out warehouse to pack up the items needed to deliver to the families as the Second Bridge community continues to grow.
"When there's a need we just post, whether it's shoes, clothing, whatever we need, and it shows up at our door," Wehby said. "I just say, 'hey we need size six diapers' and there they are. The community loves to just find out what's needed.
You can help, too. Click here or go to Second Bridge website. You'll find lists of things kids and their families need, and if you need help, you can request it.
Right now, Wehby said summer toys, spring clothing and diapers are big on the list. This year, Second Bridge merged with Kids in Need" so it's able to identify families in crisis through the social workers in schools and provide resources and supplies.
