LAFAYETTE PARISH — A donation by a local business is helping the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office provide Geaux Bags to children in crisis throughout the parish. These bags, offered through Project Geaux Bags, aim to ease the transition for kids entering foster care, making the first night a bit easier for everyone involved.
"It's everything they need for that first 24 hours while everything is kind of hitting the fan, for lack of a better word," said K.C. Kilpatrick Baird, founder of Geaux 4 Kids. "It has a pillow, blanket, backpack, toiletries, water, snack, a note of encouragement, underwear, pajamas—just everything that any child would need in crisis."
The Stuller Foundation in Lafayette donated $5,000 to Geaux 4 Kids, enabling the organization to supply more than 30 Geaux Bags to local children. Lafayette Parish Sheriff Mark Garber expressed his gratitude for the donation.
"They're very thoughtfully laid out so that first responders like us can actually put these items in the hands of the kids and caretakers that need them right when they need them," Garber said. "Not having to go spend money, which you may or may not have, is such a gift."
Baird emphasized the importance of these bags, saying, "Everyone remembers how it felt when someone helped them or not, and that's what this is about. It's about hope, dignity, and home in a bag. It's about solving that issue."
For those interested in donating, more information is available at geauxbags.org.
