Page 32 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2018

PEOPLE stocking up
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photo courtesy of Buddy Bags
As a foster mother, Brandy Hamilton watched children come into her home with little to nothing of their own, often in only a grocery or trash bag.
“We had plenty of items for them to stock up with, but what they were missing was a sense of ownership and belonging,” Hamilton said. “I had an idea that I had seen done in other ways with larger suit cases, but as I was talking to a friend over coffee we realized this was something we could do in our community.”
Two hours later the two had coined the name “Buddy Bags,” set up a donation drive date and even found a marketing sponsor to provide the bags. “It was truly
heartwarming to see our community come together for these children,” Hamilton remarked.
Each comfort bag contains new and gender neutral items, including a fleece blanket, small stuffed animal, activity book and hygiene kit. Each bag also contains a personalized note from the person who put the bag together for them. The next goal for the Buddy Bags team is to host a Coast-wide baby shower so they can provide Baby Buddy Bags as well.
Buddy Bags are delivered to each county’s Child Protection Services offices so the bags are on the front-line as soon as the child has been removed from their home or situation. “Many times they are with the caseworker at the office while they wait to see if they have a foster home available for them,” said Hamilton. “This is when the stuffed animal, blanket and activity book are most used.”
From the origination of the Buddy Bag organization in June of 2016 until the beginning of January 2018 the group donated a total of 400 bags to children in need. Their
goal for 2018 is to donate 1,000 bags throughout the state of Mississippi. The ultimate goal? To have a Buddy Bag available for every child taken into foster care throughout the entire state.
Buddy Bags
www.buddybagsms.com • info@buddybagsms.com 32 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • May 2018
Foster Care Awareness Month
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