No More Trash Bags for 40,000 Kids in Foster Care

Thank you again for supporting Comfort Cases by helping to underwrite the costs associated with collecting, assembling, mailing and distributing a total of 22,447 Comfort Cases and 6,238 Comfort XL duffels in 2021. By the end of 2022, the organization expects to have distributed well over 25,000 Comfort Cases and 18,000 Comfort XLs. That is ALL thanks to you, my friend!

Since its inception, Comfort Cases has served more than 185,000 youth in foster care in the U.S., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. A total of 9,147 volunteer hours were served in 2021 and, again, we are surpassing last year's goals as we close in on the end of 2022.

Because of your support, Comfort Cases is able to focus on its strengths, which include:

• Our partnership network with child-serving agencies, police stations, schools, foster care agencies and more. Comfort Cases, Inc. is constantly working to expand its network of partner agencies and considers all of them to be indispensable, as they all serve unique populations of foster care youth in their communities, and each partner added to the network helps expand the reach of Comfort Cases' work.
• Our support from more than 1,000 volunteers. Comfort Cases, Inc. is 96% volunteer-run organization, offering supporters and community groups the chance to collaborate in its efforts to help children in foster care. Volunteers have participated in packing parties, podcasts, fundraisers and other activities with the organization. Volunteering with Comfort Cases, Inc. helps people of all ages develop a sense of compassion, community-mindedness and caring for others. The organization has experienced an enormous spike in corporate volunteer events, up 40% compared to last year. Due to this, additional inventory had to be purchased. including ordered coloring books, pajamas, and crayons. This needed funding was provided by the corporate clients.
• Our dedicated, experienced and skilled staff and board. Nearly 100% of Comfort Cases staff have either been in the foster care/adoption systems themselves, or are currently parents to children whom they have adopted or whom they have fostered. Comfort Cases’ Board offers a diversity of skill sets and industry knowledge. The board provides expertise around governance and strategic partnership decisions and board members excel at sharing their networks and committing to their fiduciary responsibilities.

We appreciate your support and hope that you join us in 2023 as we look to grow as an organization and continue to meet the demand for Comfort Cases. In 2023 we intend to:

• Increase our partnership network. Comfort Cases considers all of our partner agencies around the U.S., Puerto Rico and the U.K. to be indispensable, as they all serve unique populations of foster care youth in their communities and each partner added to the network helps expand the reach of Comfort Cases’ work. The organization is constantly working to expand its network of partner agencies throughout the countries served, and expects continued increased demand for its services in the coming years.
• Streamline the distribution process. Shipping expenses have always been the organization’s highest expense. 95% of Comfort Cases’ agency partners cannot afford to pay or contribute to shipping costs. Therefore, not only are the Comfort Cases and Comfort XLs a donation to them, but also the shipping cost. In order to get cases to the children in greatest need, the organization covers the shipping. The organization has decreased its shipping costs by shifting shipping carriers, saving 50-60% off retail shipping costs. The organization has also streamlined distribution and the external packing party process and has made improvements in how Comfort Cases are put together. For instance, the organization orders unisex items, such as deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, lotion, books, coloring books, and stuffed animals. While the items in each case will never change, the organization tries to select as many unisex items for each category as possible, so that it can accommodate any gender and streamline the packing party process. Additionally, socks and pajamas are ribboned together, so that they are one ribboned unit, eliminating an extra step for volunteers. These shipping adjustments have afforded Comfort Cases, Inc. the opportunity to exceed its annual goal of 25,000 Comfort Cases shipped, with an anticipated annual increase of 2,000+ more Comfort Cases being distributed.

With so much to accomplish and so many lives to impact, we look forward to providing you with more updates on how YOUR support is and always will make a huge difference.

Thank you!

Rob Scheer, Founder

June is a great time of year to check in on the goals that you set for the year.  We hope that you are checking off items on your list of goals.  Here is how we are doing with ours...

In January, Comfort Cases announced our 2022 goal to collect and distribute 22,000 Comfort Cases.  To date, and in large part thanks to your support, we can report that by June 1 we had already collected and distributed 9,310 Comfort Cases throughout the country (and the world!) -- from the United Kingdom to Vermont, Texas, Florida, California, Maryland, Oklahoma, Ohio, Arizona and more! 

We have spent nearly $35,000 in shipping, and are fortunate to have volunteers help deliver cases locally. Now a GLOBAL effort, Comfort Cases will continue to need to raise funds for shipping and supplies and even more with the rising cost of fuel.  

In February Comfort Cases provided 60 cases to support children seeking safety and hope in America, including children from Ukraine.  Can you imagine how scared these children must have been after dealing with physical harm, severe emotional distress, and displacement? Providing Comfort Cases was the least we could do!

As Comfort Cases crosses the threshold into the second half of the year 2022, we want YOU - our supporters - to know what a difference you make.  Thank you again for your commitment to helping children, teens, and young adults who through no fault of their own are entering foster care.  

Keep going, and thanks again for your partnership in this big, important mission to provide comfort and hope!

Sincerely,

Rob Scheer

P.S.  If you want to be "in the know" about foster care, listen to my podcast, "Fostering Change". I meet some of the most amazing people, and this is my way of sharing these relationships and the wealth of information with all of you: https://comfortcases.org/podcasts/