Our mission at Day 1 Bags is to provide brand new duffle bags and backpacks to foster youth instead of trash bags as luggage when being removed from their homes or moved from shelter to shelter.
What does Day 1 Bags mean?
The phrase is motivational and means the first day of a plan, a new life without the worries of abuse and/or neglect. Day 1 is a way for many to start planning on a new life, to accomplish what you want your life to be, and commit on Day 1 a life of hope, dignity, security, and love.
There’s no day like Valentine’s Day to make someone special know how you feel about them. Valentine’s day can be a unique opportunity to let the foster youth know how much they are loved.
At Day 1 Bags, we partner with the 10,000 enrolled students at Boerne ISD to deliver LOVE! We completed our 3rd annual #LoveDelivered Campaign, where the students donated thousands of Valentine’s Cards, Fuzzy Socks, Candy, and Warm Blankets and distributed them to local assisted living facilities and foster youth agencies. We want our lonely, forgotten, and isolated seniors and foster youth to know that we LOVE them – every day!
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Create your own handmade Valentine’s Card today.
- Shop our Amazon Wishlist for Fuzzy Socks or Blankets
- Purchase a therapy bear
- Mail your completed Valentine’s Cards to
Day 1 Bags, c/o Hunter Beaton, 118 Lake Front Dr, Boerne, TX 78006
The A Serenity Activity Pack campaign is our thoughtful and considerate desire to make every encounter with the men and women who keep us safe in law enforcement, comforting, secure, and caring for all children. Many of the youth we have helped in the past have mentioned to us that their experiences with law enforcement have been negative because they are often dealing with traumatic events like domestic violence issues or removal of custody.
Therefore, they often attribute ill thoughts and feelings toward law enforcement. We want to change that stigma. The A Serenity Activity Pack (ASAP) Initiative was designed to give various law enforcement a bag filled with necessary supplies like fidget spinners, plush toys, coloring books, and wipes for police to give to children while encountering a situation. Please consider visiting our Facebook page for more images and details:
HOW YOU CAN HELP?
- Shop at our Amazon wishlist for items
- Purchase a therapy bear here
- Contact us for your law enforcement officers to receive ASAP bags ([email protected])
Our annual Adopt a High School Senior from Foster Care Campaign is one of the most ambitious and necessary initiatives we run at Day 1 Bags.
We are dedicated to finding and supplying every single foster child who is graduating from high school with a high-quality duffle bag, rolling backpack, hand-stitched quilt, stainless steel water bottle, a $100 gift card, and so many more gifts.
Foster youth are significantly less likely to graduate high school and finish their education based on individuals who care for one or two parents—less than 50% of all foster youth graduate with a high school diploma. Even then, those who do graduate are not given the proper celebrations and gifts they deserve. Many haven’t the family or community to celebrate their accomplishments.
This simple fact is precious and is why we have created the Adopt a Senior Campaign. With your help, we can ensure that every senior in Texas (or your current state) has their foster seniors graduating with the necessary supplies to help them in their future college, trade, or career. Please visit the link below to visit our information Facebook page.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Follow our Facebook to see how you can help.
- Purchase items on our Amazon Wishlist
- Do You Sew?
Do you need backpacks or duffel bags for the foster youth you serve?
All Day 1 duffel bags (small and large) and backpacks are FREE to non-profits, churches, social groups, and school groups serving foster children, foster teens, and aged-out foster youth. Not only that, but these bags have the best quality anyone could ever have, with a full lifetime warranty.
If you like your old bag and want to save it, we will do everything we can to get it back into shape. The Day 1 Bag products are guaranteed 100% against any defects in workmanship or materials for the product's life under regular use. Defective products will be repaired or replaced.
Click here to order your Day 1 Bag.
Free.
Day 1 Bags gives out special gifts such as Handmade quilts, zipper pouches, and utility totes as part of our Adopt a Senior Campaign. – We were surprised to have thousands of volunteers to help make personalized gifts for last year’s senior class. If you want to participate or make a gift, check out the links below
- Can you make a quilt for the upcoming graduates from foster care? Click here to sign up.
- Would you like to make a zipper pouch for the upcoming high school graduates from foster care? Click here to sign up.
- Would you like to make a utility tote for the upcoming high school graduates from foster care? Click here to sign up.
- Please email us if you cannot sew but can help in other ways, such as long arm quilting services, transporting quilts, volunteering at graduation parties, or photography services.
Click here for in-kind donations.