Every child needs the love and protection of family. Through LSS Therapeutic Foster Care, families open their homes and hearts to children in times of transition, offering a safe and supportive temporary home where they can live, learn and grow.
You can help foster families provide a comfortable, welcoming environment for children by collecting and donating the following frequently needed items:
- Backpacks and duffel bags
- Toiletry bags
- Bathroom supplies, including soap, shampoo, lotion, deodorant, wide-tooth combs, hair brushes, toothbrushes and travel-sized toothpaste
- Clothing, including pajamas, socks and underwear, all sizes
- Diapers, all sizes
- School supplies, including notebooks, folders, binders, pens and pencils
- Art supplies and activity kits
- Books
- Board games
- Small toys
- Ear buds or headphones
- Gift cards to movie theaters, iTunes, Target and more
- Throw blankets
- Winter clothing, including hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, all sizes
Please note that we can only accept new items.
Where to Give
Thank you for supporting foster families as they give children the stability and care they need. Please bring donated items directly to foster homes; contact LSS Therapeutic Foster Care to make delivery arrangements.
Learn more about LSS Therapeutic Foster Care, including how to become a foster parent.
* WE ARE ON HOLD FROM TAKING PLACEMENT BAG DONATIONS due to covid-19 *
THERE ARE OVER 9,000 CHILDREN & YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE IN MINNESOTA EVERY DAY.
We have seen, heard, and experienced story after story of children showing up on the doorstep of a foster home with a trash bag in their hands & It breaks our hearts. This sends the message that they are disposable & no one cares.
We want them to know they are loved, THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN, & they are worth more than a trash bag!
We hope these young ones feel that in some small way through these placement bags.
Thank you for being here and partnering with us!
HOW TO MAKE A PLACEMENT BAG
Choosing the items is completely up to you!
SINCE WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT SEASON THE BAG WILL BE DELIVERED, PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE HOLIDAY ITEMS & INCLUDE SUMMER & WINTER friendly ITEMS IF POSSIBLE.
Please place toothpaste, bath soap, & any other liquids in a zip lock bag as we have had several leaks & spills!
Click the links below to see what SPECIFIC items to include for each age group.
NEWBORN - 2
3-12
13-18
Local News
January 26, 2021 / 7:42 PM / CBS Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- WCCO asked, and our viewers and readers responded big time.
Last month, WCCO reported on the need in the foster care system. Because of the pandemic, fewer families are hosting foster kids. That means more kids are in transition, and are often having to use garbage bags to move their belongings. But hundreds of kids will now have a better handle on life.
Growing up can be tough for anyone, but Trace Ludewig and his twin brother had some extra tough times.
"I remember the day exactly, actually. It was Dec. 5th, 1999, I was in the foster care system on a farm in southern Minnesota," Ludewig said.
He says although he had several good foster families, this experience was bad.
"I recall that my foster mom was throwing my personal belongings out the window, and the Brown County Sheriff's Office deputy had to pick up my stuff and place it in a plastic bag," he said.
Twenty-two years later, the Twin Cities business leader was watching when WCCO showed the need for foster kids to have bags of their own.
"I initially saw the first WCCO video online and it really resonated with me," Ludewig said. "When you are in the foster care system, you don't have a lot of items, like right? Putting it in a black garbage bag, it just makes you feel like you're trash, right? Or that you're not worth anything."
So he got online sharing WCCO's story, and his own, on social media. He and his friends raised $600 for brand-new suitcases. And it turns out he was in good company. Joelene Evenson is senior director of Nexus Foundation.
"The response was incredible. We've had nearly 100 suitcases donated just in the few weeks that story ran, and on top of that more than $2,000 in cash donations has been purchased to buy new bags," Evenson said.
As beautiful as this gesture was, there was an even more beautiful way that WCCO viewers responded. Nexus Family Healing heard from WCCO viewers interested in becoming foster families. Evenson says she is deeply thankful.
"Thank you, thank you for opening your hearts, and thank you for understanding that there are so many children and teenagers that need safe places to live," Evenson said.
And until that happens, hundreds of kids will now have bags to carry them through. If you would like to join in on this effort, there are still three ways to help:
- Donate a gently-used suitcase
- Donate cash
- Consider becoming a foster parent yourself.
Click here to find more ways to help on Nexus Family Healing's website.
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