GREENFIELD — Having an easy, secure way to hold on to one’s belongings might be something most of us take for granted. But for a child in foster care, something as simple as a duffel bag to carry with them when their living situation changes can make a huge difference.
The Indiana Department of Child Services is partnering with the Evansville-based nonprofit Borrowed Hearts Foundation to raise money to buy duffel bags for local DCS offices. The goal is to provide children being abruptly removed from one home and transported to another with a way to carry their belongings other than in a trash bag, giving children in foster care a greater sense of dignity and permanence.
DCS staffers gathered at the Greenfield office Monday to accept a substantial donation — $500 worth of duffel bags from Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart — that will go to children being newly admitted to foster care in the county.
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The boxes filled with bags Burkhart donated would be more than enough to provide one to every child currently served by DCS in Hancock County, local office director Amy Waltermire said.
“When a child’s abused or neglected, our priority is to get them somewhere safe as quickly as possible, so unfortunately sometimes that means just tossing a few of their belongings into a trash bag,” Waltermire said. “Giving a child a duffel bag, it’s really a small gesture, but it can help with their dignity and it helps give them something to call their own while they head into foster care.”
Burkhart said he did not expect the enthusiastic response to his donation or to be greeted by a crowd of grateful DCS employees when he dropped it off.
“That’s not why I made a donation; I did it to provide the bags for the kids when they need them,” Burkhart said. “My job as sheriff is to support everybody in the county, and that includes children as well. I’m hoping it goes a long way, and I encourage other people to donate as well.”
Burkhart said his department has a good working relationship with DCS.
“My investigators are always working with them, on a continual basis. I like that community-based partnership that we have, being able to work together and call on one another when need be,” Burkhart said.
There are currently 89 children in foster care in Hancock County, according to Noelle Russell, DCS deputy director of communications. The total number of children listed as “in need of service,” which means the courts have become involved in decisions about their guardianship, is 145.
Matthew Peiffer is a former foster child who is now an advocate for child welfare and a member of the Indiana Youth Advisory Board. During a period in which he moved to eight different foster homes in two years, Peiffer said, he learned how easy it was for the trash bags in which he packed his belongings to tear and for things to get left behind.
“(A duffel bag) is something personal that they can keep,” Peiffer said.
Peiffer’s advocacy work for children’s welfare involves helping to educate people — police departments, church communities and average citizens — on what they can do to spot signs of child abuse or neglect.
“I went through 13 years of abuse in Grant County before we finally got into foster care. I talk to doctors and law enforcement about what to look for when they’re approaching the rural community. Sometimes, those kids, you might only get one interaction with them in 13 years,” Peiffer said.
He said agencies should look into seemingly small incidents involving children, like hang-up phone calls to the police or vandalism that is unusual for the area, as potential signs that a child is experiencing trouble at home.
“I always appreciate people just listening and being more aware. Try to talk to kids, that’s important. It’s just about being more aware, being more familiar with your neighbors. Just be a good neighbor, get involved, is my recommendation,” Peiffer said.
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The Borrowed Hearts Foundation is collecting donations to help children in foster care. To make a donation toward providing duffel bags for these children, visit borrowedheartsfoundation.org.
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