CHICAGO (PRWEB) FEBRUARY 13, 2023

On Sunday, February 12, local and international non-profit organizations and local-area volunteers came together in a northern Chicago suburb to support youth in foster care through a “packing party” event sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of Second Nurture, in partnership with Congregation Hakafa, Temple Jeremiah, and JCFS Chicago. 250 Comfort Cases® backpacks and Comfort XL duffle bags were successfully filled with essential new items for youth in foster care, ages birth to 21. These items were immediately delivered to local foster care agencies to support the well-being and comfort of local youth in foster care.

“The event was a powerful reminder of the importance of coming together as a community to support these youth, who did not ask to be placed in foster care,” stated Rabbi Susan Silverman, founder of Second Nurture, as she reminds us of the positive impact we can make in the lives of these youth when we come together as a community.
Rob Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, a non-profit organization committed to promoting “hope and dignity” to youth in foster care by ending the practice of giving youth in foster care trash bags when entering a new foster home or facility, shared his thoughts on the importance of community support for these youth: “By coming together, we show these youth that they are important people on this planet, and deserve the same care and love that all children should be given.”

Local agencies who received the donations include: Allendale Association, Camelot Care Centers, Second Bridge and Shelter, Inc.

The Comfort Cases® backpacks (filled with new, age-appropriate items including pajamas, a blanket, hygiene kit, a book or journal and a “stuffie”) and Comfort XL duffle bags will now provide a sense of hope and dignity to local youth, as they navigate the foster care system.

Representatives from the volunteering organizations expressed their commitment to continue to work towards improving the lives of children throughout the foster care system in our community:

Beth McCullough, Member of Congregation Hakafa and Co-Coordinator 2nd Nurture Chicago: “We look forward to building on the work Congregation Hakafa, Temple Jeremiah and JCFS Chicago have started with our Comfort Cases Packing Party. This important work of Tikkun Olam – repairing the world – demands of us to do our part in making the world a better place. With over 16,000 children in the Illinois foster care system, we are working to do our small part to better the lives of many of these children in foster care in our suburban Chicago community.

We hope through awareness of the issues and injustices for children entering and remaining in the foster care system here, Second Nurture Chicago will begin to provide fellowship and support to families in our communities that might want to foster or foster to adopt but were afraid up to now, without a supportive community standing beside them.”

Susan Isenberg, Temple Jeremiah congregant and Co-Coordinator Second Nurture Chicago: “Partnering with Second Nurture and Comfort Cases is very important to me for several reasons. I have personally experienced how children in foster care are affected by the system as a volunteer for CASA. Also, the experience (with my husband) as foster parents who adopted the children three years later plays a large part in my desire to make life better for youth in foster care.”

Beth Shabelman, Temple Jeremiah congregant and Co-Coordinator Second Nurture Chicago: “As a foster parent I truly lived the expression, ‘it takes a village.” From bringing over essential items for us…my neighbors and friends were invaluable to me and my family. I know that in return they were able to experience the importance of making a difference for a child at their greatest time of need. Collaborating with both Second Nurture and Comfort Cases in supporting those in the foster care community made this a memorable day – one of which I hope we are able to repeat often.”

About Second Nurture
Second Nurture is a 501(c)3 located in Los Angeles, California and Columbus, Ohio. 2N’s mission is to increase the number of safe, supportive, and loving homes for youth who have been temporarily or permanently displaced and provide a lasting community of support for foster families. Second Nurture encourages more individuals to become licensed foster caregivers by partnering with existing communities to tap into organic and established networks of support, connecting families to local resources, and engaging the greater community through outreach and education. Founded in 2017, Second Nurture has just opened its first affiliate branch in Columbus and has implemented programming within three local partner communities.

About Comfort Cases
Comfort Cases is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire communities to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care. Founded in 2013, Comfort Cases has distributed more than 200,000 Comfort Cases and Comfort XL duffel bags to children in the foster care system in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. More information can be found at http://www.comfortcases.org.

Read more here.