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Volunteers in Mott Haven pack 250+ backpacks for Bronx foster youth; Comfort Cases founder says trash-bag practice persists
Summary
Volunteers and partners in Mott Haven assembled more than 250 backpacks and duffel bags for local foster children ahead of a summer Felix camp. Rob Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, said children still arrive at placements with belongings in trash bags despite state legislation intended to stop the practice.
Volunteers and community partners in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx packed over 250 backpacks and duffel bags this week for local children in foster care ahead of a summer Felix camp, a BronxNet report said.
The event brought together organizers from Comfort Cases, Anthem and the Felix organization to assemble bags filled with essentials intended to support children arriving at camp, from toiletries and stationery to blankets and stuffed animals. An event participant said the new bags — and small items such as journals and affirmation notes — are meant to help children feel supported on their first day.
The distribution comes amid a broader local need: the report said nearly 9,000 children are in New York City’s foster-care system and that many still lack basic necessities such as proper bags to carry belongings. The report noted that Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation to end the practice of transporting children in foster care with trash bags, but organizers warned the practice persists.
"No more trash bags in foster care in New York, but I'm here to tell you, my friend, it's still happening," Rob Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, said at the event. Scheer described entering foster care at 12 and being homeless at 18; he later adopted five children who arrived with their belongings in trash bags, and said those experiences motivated his work.
"I knew as one human, I could really make a difference. And if I push that mountain with all of my other members of my community, the mountain will move," Scheer said.
According to the report, Comfort Cases has distributed more than 320,000 backpacks to children in foster care across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.K. Organizers encouraged the public to visit comfortcases.org to learn how to help or donate.
Reporting for BronxNet: Britney Schuyler.
