Case For Kids: Helping Foster Children Feel At Home
TRACY (CBS13) – For many foster kids, changing homes is a scary time. But a Tracy nonprofit group is trying to make that transition easier.
"I've seen kids moved two, three, four, five times a year," said Case for Kids co-founder Lori Souza.
Each time, the kids are forced to pack up what little things they have to go to a place they're unfamiliar with.
"I've seen kids come with garbage bags," said foster parent Tasonja McClain.
With twenty years as a foster parent, McClain knows how hard it can be for kids to be shuffled around.
"Nothing. Some kids show up with nothing," McClain said.
No sense of home and no belongings is the reason Lori and Steve Abercrombie created Case for Kids.
"They're getting someone else's bed, somebody else's clothes. All these things that aren't theirs," Abercrombie said.
Each case is designed specifically for the child.
"Each case comes with three sets of clothes, a homemade blanket, a sheet set, a beanie baby, toiletries and a book" Souza said.
Souza says the sheets are one of the most important things.
"When they have their own sheet set, and they can put it on the bed, then it makes it feel like it's their bed and their home," Souza said.
Trying to make a stressful time a little easier.
"This was a way to soften the blow of a very devastating situation," Abercrombie said.
Two of McClain's foster boys just got their case. She says it's been a struggle with behavior problems and hopes their cases will make them feel more at home.
"It's exciting because it's like Christmas," McClain said.
Case for Kids says they have a lot of volunteers but are still looking for foster parents in need of items for their kids.
For more information on how to help, head to http://caseforkids.org/.
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