-By Kathryn Rodda-

Hope in a Suitcase Australia is a non-profit organization run by very passionate volunteers. We have branches all over Australia, and our aim is to make every child entering foster care feel loved and worthy because Every Child Matters.

At Hope in a Suitcase, we pack suitcases full of essential and special items and deliver them to local child safety offices and fostering agencies, who then give the child the suitcase as they enter foster care.

Being removed from everything you’ve ever known and being taken to a strangers’ house is such a traumatic and terrifying thing for children to need to go through. Giving them some things of their own will not fix their problems, but it can bring comfort to them during this time.

All the items we pack are brand new and donated by members of our local community. We only pack brand new items because these are special, many of these children have never had brand new items, and some have not had things of their own.

We provide suitcases for children from newborn through to 17-year-olds, and each suitcase is age-specific.

The items we include in our cases are toiletries, clothing, pyjamas, underwear,  towels, face washers, hairbrushes or combs, hair accessories, sanitary items, nappies, bottles, dummies, baby products, books, drawing, colouring-in or puzzle books, pens/pencils/crayons, small toys, lego, puzzles, cuddly toys, dolls, small blankets and night lights.

Since beginning in Hervey Bay in November 2020, we have been able to provide around 100 suitcases for these precious children in our community, and we are so thankful to all those who have helped make this possible with their generous and thoughtful donations.

If you are interested in donating items, you can find the detailed lists for each age group on our Facebook page, Hope in a Suitcase – Hervey Bay, and on our website. www.hopeinasuitcase.com.au

Our local drop off points are the Bendigo Bank on Main Street and Scooters and Mobility on Torquay Road during weekdays.