I am a mom to four grown children who we raised in Contra Costa County. When I learned that there are consistently over 2,200 children in the foster care system in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, I took some time to understand the needs of these children and where there were gaps in the system. I learned that most local foster care agencies do not have timely funding to provide basic necessities to children when they enter the foster care system or transition to a new home. If they did not pack it, they do not have it. Additionally, foster care parents often face delays of several weeks before receiving funding for a child's needs—and even then, the support is frequently insufficient to cover essential expenses.

What could I do to help? Frankly, not enough on my own. So I reached out to others in my community (and my family!), and we launched Set To Thrive in August of 2021 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to support our most vulnerable children – children who are experiencing foster care.

Set To Thrive began to address the profound crisis that starts at the most traumatic moment in a child’s life: being removed from their home. During these critical moments, children, accompanied by social workers, police officers, and guardians, are often given just 15 minutes to collect their belongings. Many resort to packing whatever they can grab into a garbage bag—a stark symbol of their sudden displacement. In these hurried and distressing circumstances, children are likely to reach for comfort items like a stuffed animal or a favorite blanket, often neglecting essentials like underwear, socks, or a toothbrush. Often, they are removed without adequate shoes and may only have the clothes on their backs.

This initial dislocation is just the beginning. In California's foster care system, instability continues with frequent placement changes. Statistics indicate a troubling pattern: 44% of children in foster care for 24 months or longer undergo three or more different placements, and 15% experience five or more. Each move potentially compounds the trauma and disruption in their lives.

In 2021, Set To Thrive began producing Thrive Bags for children entering or changing homes in foster care—our flagship program for two years. The Thrive Bag program provides children with new, brand-name essentials to help set each child on a path to thrive in their new home, school, and community.  Each Thrive Bag includes a backpack or duffle bag, three days’ worth of clothing, a new pair of shoes, and hygiene items, as well as other essentials to help ease the transition, such as a handmade blanket. Thrive Bags are provided to children and adolescents, from newborns to 19 years old.   

In response to the growing needs of our community, Set To Thrive evolved its outreach in August 2023 by partnering with local school districts in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties to assist the nearly 5,500 children facing homelessness in those counties. This program began as the “Student Bag” program (separate from the “Thrive Bag Program”) that provided essential education items (age-appropriate school supplies to enhance school attendance, academic performance, and self-esteem).  Our partners are fantastic, and after the first year, our school district partners provided invaluable feedback, letting us know that many of these youth are also in need of all the items in our Thrive Bags. Therefore, Set To Thrive quickly expanded our Thrive Bag program to include students in our community experiencing homelessness.

The goal with Thrive Bags is not only provide needed items but also to provide a sense of self, of belonging, and some security. Every child deserves to have the proper essential items to attend, thrive, and boost their confidence in life and school.