LOS ANGELES–To replace the trash bags kids in foster care are often given when they age out of the system or move, SCE Credit Union said it is donating a Comfort Case backpack and Barely Canadian hoodie to youth in foster care for every new account opened this month.
Donations will be made through nonprofits helping and supporting children in foster care, including Echoes of Hope, Kidsave and Foster Nation, among others, the credit union said.
As part of National Foster Care Awareness Month, the donations are coming at the same time SCE Credit Union said it has entered into a partnership with Los Angeles County through which foster care youth as young as 13 can open their own checking and savings accounts – without an adult co-owner – through the credit union’s Youth Access Banking program, as CUToday.info reported here.
Five-Year Partnership
SCE FCU said the initiatives are part of its investment in the community that also includes a $1 million, five-year partnership with the YMCA-LA.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Barely Canadian and Comfort Cases on this initiative during National Foster Care Awareness Month,” President and CEO Jennifer Oliver said in a statement. “Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Both Barely Canadian and Comfort Cases share our values and deep sense of responsibility to serve the greater good.”
SCE CU noted there are approximately 437,500 youth in foster care in the United States.
“They are typically given a trash bag to pack up their belongings when they’re removed from their homes,” the credit union said. “Comfort Cases works to eliminate trash bags from the system and show children in foster care that they matter and there are people who love them.”
What’s in Backpacks
SCE Credit Union said the Comfort Cases backpacks are filled with new, essential comfort and personal care items for youth entering and exiting the foster care system, including pajamas, blankets, towels, hygiene kits, books, journals, coloring books, crayons or pencils, and stuffed animals.
“Barely Canadian is a family business that creates incredibly soft apparel and supports youth in foster care through donating a percentage of sales to foster care nonprofits,” the credit union said. “Each donated Comfort Case and Barely Canadian hoodie has a combined value of over $400.”
As CUToday.info reported, SCE FCU’s partnership with Los Angeles County on their Youth Access Banking program allows youth in foster care as young as 13 to open their own checking and savings accounts without an adult co-owner, with SCE FCU providing an initial $5 deposit to establish the savings account.
Showcasing the ‘Vision’
“As someone who has fostered and adopted foster children, we wanted a way to continue serving youth in foster care while creating a quality product that showcased our vision,” Kelly Slattery, founder and chief executive officer of Barely Canadian, said in a statement. “By partnering with SCE Credit Union, we’re working together to support countless kids while giving them items to bring them comfort and warmth when they enter the foster care system.”
Added Rob Scheer, founder and CEO of Comfort Cases, “At the age of 12, I entered the foster care system carrying my belongings in a black trash bag and when I aged out of the system at 18, I was handed that same black trash bag and was homeless as a senior in high school. When our first children came to us through foster care many years later, I was shocked that they were carrying those same trash bags. It had to stop. Comfort Cases appreciates like-minded organizations such as SCE Credit Union and Barely Canadian who step up with programs like this with the potential to help hundreds, if not thousands, of youth in foster care. We’re especially proud to support this initiative during National Foster Care Awareness Month.”
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