The Packed With Love Foundation raises funds to secure suitcases and other items for youth to use while in the foster care system. This could include lunch boxes, backpacks and grocery bags filled with necessities. There are over 391,000 children and youth in foster care in the United States. A child entering foster care will likely live in more than 4 homes during the FIRST year of care. It’s common for children who grow up in foster care to move more than 15 times. Across the country, children in foster care often transfer their personal items in big trash bags or even flimsy grocery bags. The impact of this can make a child feel even more unstable than they already do while being moved from home to home. Some children feel that by using garbage bags, they are unwanted and devalued as a human. Having suitcases, lunch boxes and backpacks of their own can help them feel important and it can become a significant part of their journey. They are basic needs for moving. It’s symbolic.