Helping fill My Bag

One woman, crocheting blankets in her South Hill living room, has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of area children.

In Spokane County, there currently are 924 children in foster care, according to Lisa Johnson, supervisor of placement coordination for the Division of Children and Family Services. Ninety children each month are placed in foster care for reasons ranging from physical abuse to neglect.

For the past nine years, Donna Ayers, 62, has crocheted blankets for My Bag, a program run by the Court Appointed Special Advocate Partners. After 635 blankets, she’s still at it. “I guess that’s how all this started,” she said. “I ran out of family to make blankets for.”

My Bag provides backpacks for children who are going into foster care. Often these kids are being moved during a crisis. There’s no opportunity for them to pack their belongings, and many times there are no belongings to pack. The backpacks are filled with basic necessities, a few small toys, books and a warm blanket. Linda Barenz, project coordinator for My Bag, came across Ayers’ phone number on a blanket tag while filling the backpacks. She needed more blankets, so she gave her a call.

“I like the idea of being able to help kids,” Ayers said. “Crocheting is therapeutic for me. It gives me something to do with my hands while I watch the Mariners.”

The brightly colored blankets are lap sized. They’re small enough to fit in a backpack but big enough to provide warmth, comfort and something to hold on to.

Historically, foster children have sometimes been labeled “trash bag kids.” Due to the neglect they’ve suffered and the frequency of their moves, the kids often have to pack their few possessions in garbage bags.

This is unacceptable to Barenz. “The purpose of My Bag is that these children belong to us. They are the community’s children and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” she said.

The backpacks are kept at the DCFS office. Social workers can stop by and grab one when they’re preparing to place a child. “The children need something that belongs just to them,” said Barenz.

The backpacks are sorted by age and gender so every child going into care can have appropriate items. For many of these kids a brand new toothbrush is a big deal, and a cuddly blanket can offer comfort in an uncertain, frightening time.

“The kids are thrilled to get these things,” said Johnson. “We appreciate the My Bag program. All we have to do is call and let them know what we need.”

Ayers says the blankets are even more important with winter approaching.

“The kids can use something warm,” she said. “I want to keep on making blankets as long as there’s a need.”

According to Barenz, 6,804 children have received backpacks so far. For Ayers that number isn’t the important one.

“If one child can be warmed because of me,” she said, “then it’s worth it.”