This year, National Make A Difference Day falls on Saturday, October 24. It's a day built on a simple belief: ordinary people can change a life.
You don’t have to make a big change to help someone in your community. Often, small and simple acts show you care.
At My Bag My Story, we believe even the smallest act of kindness can make a big difference for a child in foster care.
Where Make A Difference Day Began
Make A Difference Day began in 1992 when USA Weekend magazine called on people across the country to serve their communities. The nonprofit Points of Light joined soon after, and together they made it the largest national day of community service for over 20 years.
Today, the tradition continues because communities, schools, churches, and nonprofits see how important it is to give back. Every fourth Saturday in October, people across the country choose a cause and take action.
Why It Matters Here
In Tennessee, nearly 9,000 children are in foster care across the state.
Many of them will move at least once. Some will move many times. And on moving day, too many still carry everything they own in a trash bag.
That's the difference we exist to make.
Since 2019, My Bag My Story has worked alongside foster care agencies and community partners across Tennessee to put a high-quality backpack or duffel bag in the hands of every child who needs one. A bag of their own says something a trash bag never can: You matter. Your things matter. Your story matters.
Here are four ways you can be part of that story this October.
1. Give a Bag
A $25 donation gives a high-quality backpack to a child entering foster care or moving to a new home. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to help.
This month, we're hosting our 24-Hour Donation Drive on October 24th to honor National Make a Difference Day. For one day, we're inviting our whole community to give together, so more children can leave a hard day carrying something that feels like theirs.
Can't give during the drive? Monthly giving keeps bags moving all year long, long after October ends.
2. Partner With Us
My Bag My Story doesn't do this work alone. We partner with foster care agencies, churches, businesses, and community groups across Tennessee to get bags where they're needed most.
If your organization helps children in foster care, we’d love to talk about how we can get bags to the kids you support. And if you lead a business, congregation, school, or civic group, partnering with us is a great way to bring people together for a cause that’s simple and unforgettable.
3. Become an Advocate
Most people have no idea that children in foster care often carry their belongings in trash bags. Once they know, they rarely forget.
That's why your voice matters.
Share our posts. Tell a friend. Bring it up at your next small group, staff meeting, or dinner table. Use #EndTheTrashBag so the conversation keeps traveling.
If you want to do even more, think about becoming a CASA volunteer. Court Appointed Special Advocates speak up for children in foster care in court and in other areas of their lives.
Every change begins with awareness.
4. Foster or Mentor Through One of Our Partners
Some changes take more time, but they can last a lifetime.
Children in foster care need safe, loving homes while their families heal or while they wait for a permanent home. Foster parents give temporary care until a child can return home, be adopted, or find a permanent guardian.
Older youth need something just as important: a steady adult they can count on. Every year, about 1,000 young people in Tennessee age out of foster care, many without the family and community support most of us have. A mentor can help fill that gap.
Many of our partner organizations are looking for people like you. Contact groups like Monroe Harding to learn more about fostering or mentoring young people in foster care.
Each organization has its own requirements and training, so contact them directly to find out what works best for you.
Make Your Difference
You don’t have to do it all but even a small act can make a big difference. That’s what National Make A Difference Day is all about.
This Make A Difference Day, let's make sure more children in Tennessee carry their belongings and their stories with dignity.