Duffle bag project sew-in for youth in foster care set Sept. 28

The Lower Delaware Duffle Bag Project will host a sew-in and press conference from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Villages of Five Points Community Center in Lewes.

A committed cadre of volunteers makes duffle bags for children entering foster care in Sussex and Kent counties. The bags are given to children by caseworkers of the Delaware Division of Family Services as the children are being removed from their homes.

In the past, children had been given trash bags to carry their few belongings in. The intent is to provide some dignity and brighten a very bad situation for these children. The group has surpassed its goal to make 240 bags by September.

These children have often been traumatized by abuse, neglect or parental drug dependency. Some have special physical needs or education needs, and many require special support to catch up both educationally and socially with their peers.

At 10:30 a.m., Melissa Higgins, foster care coordinator for Kent and Sussex counties, will be joined by foster parents, former foster children and leaders of the Sussex County Foster Care Parents Association, project donors and Volunteer Delaware 50+ representatives to discuss the impact of the duffle bag project and other ways the community can support children in foster care as they transition to a more ‘normal’ life.

“The volunteers who prepare the bags find the experience rewarding and it adds meaning to their lives,” said Pat Senkowski, chair of the Sussex County Volunteer Delaware 50+ Advisory Council, which sponsors the project. One such volunteer underwrote the cost of adding a label to the bags with the message “You are loved,” because she wanted to send encouragement.

The event is being hosted by the Villages of Five Points in Lewes as a part of its series of community service workshops. The Villages of Five Points Community Center is at 17339 N. Village Main Blvd., Lewes.