Sewing Project to Help Foster Kids 

 It started out as a simple e-mail request from an Arizona foster parent in 2007 asking individuals who loved to sew to help Arizona foster kids.

 

Scottsdale resident and foster parent Adriane started the sewing project in February of that year with a goal of receiving 300 pillowcases but today (2025) has received over 82,000 kid-friendly pillowcase bags from volunteers all over Arizona and the country.   

 

   When a child is taken from a home that has been deemed unsafe by the Department of Child Safety (DCS) the child may take only a small amount of toys, clothes, and personal belongings. Many times, DCS workers just don’t have enough suitcases to use so when a child arrives at a child crisis center, group home, or foster home many times they arrive with literally one or two large trash bags full of personal items. As of 2025, there are just about 10,000 children in foster care in Arizona.

 

   She thought how demeaning it was to arrive at a foster home with nothing but a trash bag. “I thought how traumatic is it that they are already being taken out of the home for whatever reason but to have personal things they treasure put in trash bags sends the wrong message,” she said. She wondered why kid-friendly king-sized pillowcases with backpack straps or dufflebags couldn’t be used instead?

 

      Since 2007, the pillowcases bags with drawstrings and straps that volunteers make are given to the local DCS offices and child crisis centers throughout Arizona to use instead of the trash bags. 

Thank you for your support!  Adriane 

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Sewing Project to Help Foster Kids

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Check out this heartfelt story & TED TALK: https://youtu.be/bnK1mXm8i2w