Nearly 100 times each day, a child in California is placed into foster care.

When children are abruptly removed from their homes and placed into emergency foster care, it can be a difficult and overwhelming experience. Often, they have to leave everything they own behind, or they may be handed a trash bag and given 5 minutes to pack their belongings. Or Ami’s Mitzvah Day Comfort Bags can make a significant difference in the well-being and emotional state of these children and teens.

Our Comfort Bags are thoughtfully filled with essential items such as toiletries, school supplies, and t-shirts as well as comfort objects such as stuffed animals, journals, and hand-decorated pillowcases and cards. These items help provide a sense of comfort and security to the youth during a time of extreme uncertainty. They also help to meet their immediate needs, as they may lack access to basic necessities. Social workers have shared with us over the years how they have been moved to tears looking through the bags that ultimately go to these youth, many of whom are teen runaways who leave their homes with nothing.

Congregation Or Ami has proudly been providing these comfort bags to social workers in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys for about 20 years. We understand that the world is crazy right now, and we are all being pulled in many different directions — emotionally, financially, physically, and mentally. By participating in Or Ami’s Mitzvah Day, you have a chance to positively impact children and teens in our community.

Please join us at Or Ami on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at 11 am to pack 500 comfort bags, 50 for ages 5-10, 200 for ages 11-13, and 250 for ages 14-17 (the greatest need).

Want to do more? Please consider a donation to help purchase items to fill these bags – orami.org/donate and select “Mitzvah Day Comfort Bag Sponsor.” Sixty dollars will fill a comfort bag, but any amount is welcome and appreciated. Please email MitzvahDay@orami.org with any questions.