Assistance League of Bend recently prepared emergency winter clothing bundles for foster children. Through a partnership with Every Child Central Oregon, Assistance League provides emergency clothing to children entering or transitioning in the foster care system. Children entering foster care are often taken from their homes very quickly with little time to gather their belongings. Many of them leave with only the clothes they are wearing. Emergency Clothing Bundles provide a complete outfit, including a sweatshirt, socks, underwear, pajamas, etc., to sustain the foster child for two days. Melissa Williams, Executive Director of Every Child Central Oregon (ECCO) recently shared, “I just wanted to send a personal note to Assistance League of Bend. I took an after-hours emergency placement on Thursday night of two kids from Redmond. Both kids came with only the clothes on their back and they were not clothes they could wear to school the next day. The Child Protective Services worker brought an Assistance League clothing bundle for each of them. The eight-year old girl was in awe of how all the clothes were for her. The bundle was so beautifully made and curated. Working for ECCO, I know the impact of this program. Being a foster parent scrambling to stabilize kids in the middle of the night, I felt the impact of our collective work. One of the kid’s teachers pulled me aside when I picked up on Friday to share how confident this little one was wearing clothes that fit and that were in style. Thank you!”