Grant #482
The Loving Luggage Project
January 3, 2022
Sometimes a Bag Is So Much More Than a Simple Accessory
You’re a kid in foster care, so you know the routine. New placement, no notice, time to pack in whatever is around. Most of the time, that means a trash bag. It’s stressful and destabilizing. You might lose some things in the process. What choice do you have? The Loving Luggage Project can’t fix everything that’s wrong with foster care, but its creators Drs. Julia and Nicole Charles-Linen do have a solution for this particular experience.
“No one wants to put their belongings in trash bags,” Julia and Nicole explain. “Trash bags are for trash.” The couple decided to start the Loving Luggage Project to give children something portable and durable that belongs to them. For Julia, the program is personal. She grew up in foster care and knows how much even small tokens of comfort can mean.
Children (ages 3-18) who participate in the program are each given brand new luggage filled with items like books, blankets, and fresh toothbrushes. Our grant will help Julia and Nicole stock up on luggage and cover assorted storage fees and transportation costs. The Loving Luggage Project is a practical approach to the headache of moving, but it’s also a message from someone who’s been there: You matter.
