"I was adopted at age three and have no idea where I spent the first three years of my life, because I have no pictures of myself as a baby or of my mother or siblings,” said La Juana Moser, a member of the Lancaster church. “As I grew older and became a foster parent myself, I realized how important pictures were, not only to me, but to all of the kids I cared for. So I kept photo albums for them and had the foster children make 'ME' books that traveled on to their next journey.”

In June of 2002, Moser expanded her caring ministry for children to include other comfort items for foster children. “I found 11 bags at my home and filled them with items I knew would be important to a child in the transitional circumstances that the foster care system presents,” she said. Thus arose the project idea Moser calls “Bags4Kids.”

Moser developed Bags4Kids as a non-profit organization that collects donations of items to put in bags for needy children. The bags are then given to police stations and county offices for children who have been displaced. Moser uses all types of fabric bags, including diaper bags, duffle bags and backpacks, and fills them with spiral notebooks, journals, Bibles, books, photo albums, pens, crayons, small toys, stuffed animals, coloring books, etc. Make-up bags are included for girls that include sample size shampoo, toothpaste and perfume. Bags for infants include baby bottles, baby hairbrush and comb sets, infant toys, diapers and reading books.

Added Moser, “The gender-specific bags are for babies, children and teenagers and include anything, really, that can help children during the initial waiting time at police stations or Children’s Services offices. When they arrive at their new home, they will be standing at the door with something that belongs to them and only them.”

Moser’s project has resulted in hundreds of bags already, with the help of donations from individuals, organizations and churches. For further details, visit bags4kids.com or e-mail, info@bags4kids.net.