Two years ago we wrote an article for this site about a new, not for profit Nottingham based charity, MyBag
Inspired by the US organisation Together We Rise the four Trustees wanted to help those children who were entering into the care system for the first time; and so MyBagCharity was conceived.
The official figures didn’t make pleasant reading at the time…and things haven’t changed
- In England, 31,000 children enter the foster care system every year.
- That’s a staggering 85 children everyday
- Off this number nearly 300 live in Nottingham
- This is a shocking 1 child every 32 hours in Nottingham alone.
When foster children come in to care for the first time they often have few or no personal belongings that they can call their own. At MyBag we know these children deserve better than that and we want to eradicate this situation starting in our home city of Nottingham. To help foster kids have a more positive experience, we provide a bag with a variety of comfort items inside it that these kids can call their own for as long as they wish to, and to take it with them should they move.
MyBag supply three types of bags – infant, primary and secondary but all are a large, gender neutral holdall or backpack stuffed with a teddy bear, a blanket, a colouring or note book, crayons, and also a large drawstring bag for any personal possessions they may have. My Bag wants children in foster care to feel like kids, and we believe this is an important first step in doing this & instil some self esteem at a very difficult time in their lives. The foster system faces many challenges so by working with MyBag we can help eradicate one of them. My Bag hopefully goes some way to help children feel like they belong.
There is also an additional, but crucial, benefit for the social worker who is tasked with collecting the child and taking them to their foster carer for the first time. Rather than going to see the child empty handed the bag can provide a focal point should there be any waiting time once the child has been collected.
Last time we wrote for this website we were just planning to make their first delivery to Nottingham City Council. With great support from both individuals and small business we have come a long way in just two years and we are now making regular monthly deliveries to both Nottingham City and expanded into Nottingham County Councils, delivering over 70 bags last month alone.
Whether you are an individual or a local company & would like to support MyBag Charity helping Foster Children in Nottingham you can donate or raise money by visiting www.mybagcharity.co.uk or send us an email with any ideas or suggestions to hello@mybagcharity.co.uk
The 4 Trustees are particularly proud of the fact that over 97p in every £ they raise goes directly into buying the bags and their contents. The balance goes primarily towards web and email hosting.
We have the full support and obviously have a very close working relationship with both Nottingham City and Notts County Council and we are grateful for their support.
We have numerous activities planned to raise funds including raffles, auctions, fundraising events, Sponsored runs etc…but like most registered charities always need more. Get in touch if you can help, and make a real difference.
You can even help them at no cost to yourself. MyBag is currently being supported by the Co-op & they will donate to MyBag every time you spend money in one of their stores. Sign up here – https://membership.coop.co.uk/…