By Lauren A. Schregardus—
MUNCIE, IN—On Tuesday, December 10, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Comfort Cases, and Isaiah House 1:17 joined forces at the Ross Community Center in Muncie to host a heartwarming event aimed at improving the lives of foster care children throughout Delaware County. Approximately 40 local individuals including volunteers from these organizations, alongside local community partners, gathered to pack 200 backpacks filled with essential and comforting items for children entering local foster care.
The backpacks, which included pajamas, socks, blankets, stuffed animals, books, activity materials, and hygiene kits, will be distributed to foster care organizations across the region. This initiative was sponsored by Anthem, which provided funding and recruited volunteers to support the effort. The event also highlighted the mission of Comfort Cases, a non-profit dedicated to replacing the use of trash bags for youth in foster care’s belongings with dignified, well-equipped backpacks and duffle bags.
Rob Scheer, the Founder and CEO of Comfort Cases, attended the event and shared his personal experiences as a foster child. Scheer recounted his journey of carrying his belongings in a trash bag—a painful memory that inspired his mission to provide youth in foster care with a sense of dignity and hope. Now a father of five adopted children following foster care, Scheer has led Comfort Cases in distributing over 250,000 backpacks and duffel bags to children across the U.S, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.
The packing event drew volunteers from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the Muncie Police Department, Guardians of the Children, Firefly Children and Family Alliance, and social workers from IU Health, among others. This collaborative effort aimed to bring attention to the challenges faced by foster care youth while providing tangible support.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield underscored its commitment to fostering a compassionate community by funding the supplies and coordinating this impactful event.
With over 14,000 children in foster care in Indiana in 2023, events like this demonstrate the power of community and compassion in creating positive change for the state’s most vulnerable youth.
