Every teacher in Tennessee gets a class roster before the first day of school. Names, ages, and sometimes, not much else. What that list does not say is which child is in foster care, which one packed their belongings into a trash bag just days ago, or which one is walking into a new school after moving to a new home for the third time this year.
There are nearly 9,000 children in state custody in Tennessee, and they are on rosters across all 95 counties. As the back-to-school rush winds down, it’s worth asking a different question. What would it take to change the story for just one of those children—not only on the first day of school, but in the days that follow?
The Reason Behind the Backpack
Foster children live in every part of the state. The Tennessee Department of Children's Services serves all 95 counties, making foster care neither a big-city issue nor a rural one. It is a statewide reality that reaches into communities of every size.
And for a child, that reality can feel especially personal at the start of a new school year. Some are walking into an unfamiliar school in an unfamiliar neighborhood, trying to find their place in a classroom where friendships and routines may already be established.
For most families, back-to-school season is a familiar transition. For a child in foster care, it can also be another reminder of how much has changed.
Many foster children in Tennessee go through three or more placement changes during their time in foster care. Each move means adjusting to new homes, schools, and caregivers - and it can often mean packing up their whole life into one trash bag.
While the backpack may seem insignificant to most, to a child who has moved upwards of three times, it can change their entire story. Data shows that a child feeling like they belong can help reduce loneliness and support emotional well-being, while carrying old or worn-out belongings can signal their circumstances and add to the pressure.
But something as simple as a new personal item can carry real meaning. A quality backpack or duffel bag, for example, gives a child something of their own to carry their belongings and offers a sense of dignity and belonging. It cannot erase the challenges they are facing, but it can send a clear message: someone saw them, valued them, and believed they deserved something made to last.
How You Can Help
That’s why we launched My County, My Story.
This year-round initiative aims to raise enough money to provide every foster child in Tennessee with a backpack or duffel bag of their own. And the need is especially urgent during the back-to-school season.
You don’t have to sponsor an entire county to make a difference. Every donation to My County, My Story helps provide new backpacks and duffel bags to children in foster care across Tennessee.
Here are three simple ways you can make a difference this school year:
Make a One-Time Donation. When you donate as little as $25 to My Bag My Story or the My County My Story initiative, you are ensuring that one child in foster care receives their very own backpack.
Become a Monthly Donor. When you choose to become a recurring donor, you are changing a child’s life every single month.
Sponsor a County. If you're in a position to do so, a $2,500 sponsorship covers every foster child in one Tennessee county for an entire year. Think of the difference you’ll make.
The school year is just beginning. Let’s make sure every child in Tennessee walks in with something that shows they belong. The bag matters, and so does every child who carries it.