Dignity Partner Series: How Monroe Harding and MBMS Help Restore Dignity in Foster Care

For more than five years, Monroe Harding, a leading provider of foster care and youth and young adult support services in Middle Tennessee, has partnered with My Bag My Story as a Dignity Partner, one of over 60 community organizations working together to help restore dignity and hope to children in foster care.

That shared commitment runs deep at Monroe Harding. Pamela Madison, CEO, says the impact of My Bag My Story’s mission is deeply felt across the organization. “Our staff consistently shares how much the kids appreciate the bags,” she says. “The quality is exceptional, and the message behind them matters even more.”

Collaboration is a core value at Monroe Harding, woven into everything they do from providing safe and reliable foster care to supportive housing, education and career-readiness programs and therapy. For Pam, fostering dignity isn’t just about the programs themselves, but also how young people are treated in moments of transition and change.

During the rehoming process, many youth must carry their belongings in trash bags, a reality that, to Pam, is simply unacceptable. “No young person should arrive at a foster home with their belongings in a trash bag,” she says. “It’s dehumanizing, almost a metaphor for being discarded. Trash bags are for trash. Our kids are not trash. They are worthy of love and dignity.”

That shared belief is what makes My Bag My Story’s partnership with Monroe Harding so meaningful. Each purchase of a high-quality backpack or duffel bag ensures that a child in foster care receives a bag of equal value.  

As the organization continues to expand its impact, particularly for older youth aging out of foster care, Pam emphasizes the importance of community partnerships. “Monroe Harding can’t do this work alone,” she says. “My Bag My Story helps us do what we do best: care for young people. We are better together. When we collaborate, we serve our kids well.”

Pam’s message to other organizations interested in partnering with My Bag My Story is simple and heartfelt: “There should be no question about supporting My Bag My Story. Every child deserves to feel worthy, to have something of their own, and to know they are loved. This organization has both the passion and the capabilities to make that happen.”