IKON Office Solutions “Bath Basket” Drive

When a child is removed from their home it is with little or no notice. Children do not have time to pack an overnight bag. They oftentimes leave their homes with little more than some personal items thrown into a trash bag. Employees at IKON donated new pajamas and bath items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and bubble bath to give to children during the difficult transition into a foster home. A pair of pajamas and a toothbrush may seem trivial, but for a child that has just lost a family and personal belongings it means a lot.

Southern Wine and Spirits “Backpacks and Diapers” Drive Compared to other school children, the first day of school for a foster child or youth is filled with extra anxiety and often the secret shame that they are a foster kid. Having a new backpack and school supplies can help a foster child to have a sense of “fitting in.” Employees at Southern, Wine and Spirits of Northern CA helped 40 AFS foster children by supplying them with new backpacks and money for school supplies. In addition, Southern employees donated diapers for very young foster children. Diapers are a huge expense and the donated diapers provided more than 500 diaper changes for a number of Bay Area foster children.

Thank you Southern Wine and Spirits for sponsoring the Believe in the Magic of Christmas holiday party for the foster children and families. You raised the holiday spirits of more than 100 foster children and showed them they can indeed believe in the human spirit.

Thank you Safeway Foundation for brightening the lives and holidays of hundreds of Northern CA foster children with your amazing employee gift donations during the AFS Wish Upon a Wreath campaign. Thank you also for improving the lives of several developmentally disabled foster children with your generous grant for equine therapy.