What Are Bags for Belonging
Katelyn Hall • July 15, 2025
Why Belonging matters: It isn't just a feeling — it’s a foundation.
When a child feels safe, seen, and supported, their healing can begin. They begin to build trust, form healthy relationships, and envision a hopeful future. As foster care providers, we strive every day to create that foundation of love and stability. But we can’t do it alone. That’s where our community comes in.
Introducing: Bags for Belonging
One of the ways we affirm a child’s worth from the very beginning is through our Bags for Belonging program. Every child who enters foster care through Seven Homes receives a brand-new backpack or diaper bag filled with essentials and comfort items, carefully curated with their needs and hearts in mind.
Each bag contains:
- A soft blanket
- A cuddly stuffed animal
- Sensory toys for emotional regulation
- Age-appropriate hygiene items (like shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant)
- School supplies for older children
- A children’s Bible as a message of hope and identity
These bags aren’t just filled with items — they’re filled with dignity. They're a simple but profound way of saying, YOU matter. YOU are not forgotten. YOU belong.
How You Can Help
You can be part of this message of belonging in a very tangible way. Here’s how:
1. Donate New Items
- We’re always in need of new:
- Backpacks and diaper bags
- Blankets and stuffed animals
- Hygiene Items
- Sensory toys and stress-relief tools
- Crayola Colored Pencils, Crayons & Markers
- Coloring Books & Small Toys
- Baby Bottles, Pacifiers & baby nail clippers
- Diapers & Wipes
- Hair Brushes & Combs
- Children’s and teen Bibles
All items must be new. Visit our AMAZON WISHLIST
to see our current needs and send items directly to us.
2. Host a Donation Drive
- Church groups, workplaces, youth ministries, book clubs — anyone can host a donation drive! It’s a great way to engage your community and help spread awareness about the needs of children in foster care.
3. Sponsor a Bag
- Want to make an impact but don’t have time to shop? You can still be a vital part of this effort by making a monetary donation. With a gift of approximately $75, you can sponsor a fully stocked bag. We’ll take care of purchasing and assembling the items — your generosity will go directly toward bringing comfort and hope to a child in need.
Be Part of the Story
Every backpack packed, every blanket folded, every Bible placed in a child’s hand is a step toward healing. When you support Bags for Belonging, you’re doing more than giving items — you’re planting seeds of worth and belonging in the hearts of children who need it most.
Because in our community — in your community — every child deserves to know:
YOU are seen. YOU are valued. YOU belong.
As parents and caregivers, it can be hard — and sometimes overwhelming — to know how to respond when a child is upset. One of the biggest challenges is figuring out whether you're dealing with a tantrum or a meltdown.
Family isn't defined by age, circumstances, or perfect timing...
After three years of building memories, growing together, and navigating the challenges of the foster care journey, these dynamic brothers are now officially part of the Jordan family! A story of adoption.
Where tiny hands and big hearts meet — belonging begins. A story of adoption.
TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. Seven Homes is the first foster care agency in NC to have TBRI practitioners on staff.
