PROGRAMS
COMFORT KITS
TESTIMONY FROM A FOSTER PARENT
“My name is Kahley Speziale, and my husband John and I have been licensed foster parents with Mahoning county children services for about 4 years. We have two biological children and we are in the process of adopting a brother and sister sibling pair. In the past 4 years, we’ve had about 30 children in our home, some for a couple of days and others for a couple of years.
Tonight I’d like to talk to you about trash bags. Yes, you heard me right.
TRASH BAGS. a mundane item that we occasionally put on our shopping list, used to collect our garbage or other unwanted and unimportant items.
What does a trash bag mean to YOU? For nearly 450,000 children in the United States, a trash bag is their lifeline; the one thing they will have left full of contents from the only life they’ve ever known.
I want to share a story with you all tonight. To preface, my husband and I have been an emergency foster family for the majority of our time fostering. That means, in a nutshell, that we are willing to take children sight unseen 24/7.
I’ll never forget it was a beautiful spring morning. I enjoyed my morning coffee on my back patio and watched as my children jumped on the trampoline in the backyard. My phone rang and it was call from Mahoning county children services asking us if we’d take an 8 year old boy right then on the spot. We said yes, as we always do. What I didn’t know at that time was that this little boy’s worst nightmare was unfolding right before him as we spoke on the phone. You see, it was normal for he and his older siblings to wake up early on their own in the mornings, get dressed and head off to school.
That morning was different.
His older brother woke up first to learn that his parents had overdosed on fentonyl. He called 911 and before the young boy even woke up for school that morning, their home was full of first responders.
10 minutes. 10 confusing, frantic minutes this child would spend shoving into a trash bag his most valued belongings and prized possessions that provided any sense of comfort before he was put in a car with someone he didn’t know and driven to a home he has never been to before. This home is full of unknown people. It will now be his new home… and these strangers? They will now be his new foster family.
We’ve all heard the cliche for as long as we can remember. Children in foster care bouncing from place to place with nothing but a trash bag. And if you’re like me, you think to yourself, ok but this isn’t reality, right? This most certainly is not going on here in our community, is it? Surely, We have to be doing better for these children by now.
Im here to tell you that because of Project MKC, we are.
You see, when a child comes into our home from children services, the caseworker brings one of these comfort kits too. Incase you don’t know, these duffel bags are categorized by age and gender, and they are full of all of the essential items a child might need.
Every single bag includes a pair of pajamas and an outfit in it. Do you know how many times that one single pair of pajamas and one outfit was my saving grace? When a child comes through our doors in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on his back? I know that Project MKC has my back until I can get a game plan together to get more clothes when the sun comes up.
While I provided the home, Project MKC provided the support. While I provided the bed, Project MKC provided the pajamas and cozy blanket. While I provided the warm bath, Project MKC provided the toiletries. While I provided the night light, Project MKC provided the stuffed animal. While I provided the baby snuggles, Project MKC provided the diapers and wipes.
So, Project MKC didn’t just give us a duffel bag. They gave a child in foster care a sense of security, dignity, and worth. They give children in foster care who have nothing …. Something… that is all theirs… it’s not a hand-me-down, it’s not something that won’t go with them when they leave our home. It’s theirs. And even though we look at it and it might not seem like a lot, to them, it means the world. So when these children do leave, hopefully to reunify with family, they leave our home on a better foot than they came. And that’s why we do what we do.
I don’t know where that young boy is now, and you better believe that I think about him and the profound impact he has had on my life every single day. Although our hearts rip out of our chests every time a child leaves our home, they are able to do so knowing what unconditional love feels like, and that they are worth it. They leave our home without a trash bag.
I once read that foster care is like writing chapters in a book that you’ll never get to read, and I can imagine that perhaps your contribution to project MKC might feel the same. But I am standing here as as proof that this organization is a blessing from above, and as long as I am on this earth I will be thankful for it, and everyone who has been a part of it.
I need you to understand that even if I don’t know you, If you are in this room right now, you have directly helped me and the dozens of other foster parents in this county.
They say it takes a village. Did you know that every one of you have been a part of my village all along? You always have been and as long as this organization is in place, you always will be. You were there with me on those sleepless nights, at therapy appointments, at case plan meetings and court hearings. You were there with me all along. Because of your generosity, whether it be monetary, tangible items or prayers, we are able to put our hearts on the frontline and focus on what God has called us to do.
So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the hundreds of children and parents you are helping right here in this valley every single day.”
WHAT IS A COMFORT KIT?
The Project MKC Comfort Kit program makes sure that infants, children & teens entering the foster care system receive a hopeful start by giving them new care bags to replace items they were forced to leave behind, or never had to begin with.
Project MKC understands that most children are being removed from their homes in the worst of circumstances. Most likely the children do not have time to pack a bag of their belongings to take with them to their new home. Therefore, the Project MKC Comfort Kits help the children relax and focus on adapting without having to worry about their most basic needs and gives them a sense of worth and belonging.
Comfort Kits are black duffel bags filled with brand new, age and gender specific toys, books, stuffed animals, school supplies, food, clothing, personal toiletries, and a homemade warm fleece, no sew “security blanket” – all theirs to keep. There are 9 different age and gender categories in which the bags are divided including: 0-12 Months, 1-2 Years, 3-5 Years, 6-9 Boys, 6-9 Girls, 10-14 Boys, 10-14 Girls, 15-18 Boys, and 15-18 Girls.
Project MKC accepts donations (monetary or goods) for the Comfort Kit Program. Please contact the office at (330) 758-3434 if you would be interested in donating to this valuable program!