Portland Lodge #188 used their $2,000 Spotlight Grant to support Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine buy filling 100 backpacks for children entering the foster care system. Known nationwide as Comfort Cases, these backpacks are filled with essentials, based on age, as to what a child may need to provide them some comfort, dignity, and pride in having their belongings in a new backpack and not a trash bag when they are taken from their home and placed in the foster care system.
FRONT L-R: Patty Amico, Jeanette Conley, Gale Murphy
BACK: L-R: Colleen Hilton, Margaret Poulin, Beth Gilboy from Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine, Susan Smythe, ER Joe Winschel, Kim Toppi
The 100 backpacks were filled with ALL NEW pajamas, personal care items, a blanket, stuffed animal, socks, journals, and a book. We were able to fill each backpack with all of these supplies thanks to the generosity of our members who stepped up and made this project possible.
A representative from the agency was at the Portland Lodge on December 12 to accept the backpacks.