Trash bags, cardboard boxes, and even knotted sheets become the default "luggage" for children entering foster care.
Each year, more than 320,000 children entering, exiting, or moving within U.S. foster care endure constant upheaval, often relocating multiple times with nothing more than a trash bag to carry their belongings. This “solution of convenience” sends a heartbreaking message: that their possessions, and too often their lives, are seen as disposable.
No reliable data exists on how many foster children continue to carry their belongings in trash bags, yet the consensus is clear: the number is unacceptably high. This crisis won’t end with individual fixes. It requires systemic change.
Source: Christian Alliance for Orphans (2023)
PACKED WITH DIGNITY?
HOW FOSTER CARE LUGGAGE LAWS HAVE (AND HAVEN’T) CHANGED 1950-2025
Four states have laws to advance dignity for children in foster care. Forty-six states do not.
TIMELINE
Trash bags, cardboard boxes, and even knotted sheets become the default "luggage" for children entering foster care.
With little understanding of child development and minimal funding, makeshift containers remain common as children move frequently between homes.
Black trash bags become standard issue.
Former foster parent Paula Hilsmeier recalls, "These young people really do travel around with trash bags full of clothes and other belongings."
Grassroots groups, churches, and community volunteers begin replacing trash bags with donated suitcases and duffels.
Nonprofits begin change by starting locally, then expand nationally to replace trash bags with real luggage for children in foster care.
Source: Capitol News Illinois, Capitol Texas, Maryland General Assembly, OPB, OCFS, Day 1 Bags.
THE SCALE OF NEED
Source: Day 1 Bags (2025). | *Assuming an average of 2 moves and 1 trash bag per child. Based on the average NFL stadiumcapacity of 70,000 spectators.
Even with tireless work, the cycle continues. Children in foster care continue to bear a burden that should never have been theirs.
Together, We Can End This Practice.
Would You Let Someone You Love Pack Their Life in a Trash Bag?