Sanford drive collects luggage, socks and clothes for foster children

Drop off used luggage, new socks, underwear and gently used clothing at Safeharbor Christian Church, 730 Upsala Rd. in Sanford, from 6:30 p.m. Thursday through 9:30 p.m. July 30. The collection is being held for foster children and families across Central Florida, where a suitcase can mean a child arrives with something of their own instead of a trash bag.

Marialana Kinter, who is running for Florida's 7th Congressional District, is organizing the drive through Marialana Kinter for Congress. Campaign materials describe Kinter as a former Navy Nuclear Reactor Plant Supervisor and first-generation graduate, and her campaign says she grew up as the youngest of four children raised by a single mother. On her campaign site, Kinter said, "Growing up as the youngest of four kids raised by a single mom, I learned early what it means to stretch every dollar."

The drive is framed by a real gap in local child welfare support. Kids House of Seminole Inc. says community donations of gifts, supplies and funding are critical to helping abused and neglected children, a reminder that foster care placement often starts with immediate needs, not long-term ones. The Sharing Center, which serves Longwood, Seminole County and the greater Orlando area, also remains part of the wider safety net for families who need food, housing and other assistance.

Luggage matters in foster care because it changes the first night. Suitcases and duffel bags give children a place to pack belongings without the humiliation that comes when a move is reduced to a garbage bag. New underwear and socks matter for the same reason: they cover the basics that children should not have to go without when they enter a placement.

Florida has seen similar efforts before. Hillsborough County Children's Services runs Duffels of Dignity, which accepts new or gently used suitcases and duffel bags for children in traumatic situations, underscoring how common this need is across the state. Kinter's Sanford drive puts that idea in a local place, on a local timeline, with a concrete ask for items that can be used immediately.