Local YMCA Childcare Sites To Collect Items for My Stuff Bags

The 16 Southeast Ventura County childcare sites are collecting items for the My Stuff Bags Foundation throughout the month of December. Students who attend the before-and-after-school YMCA childcare programs will also be making blankets to donate.

My Stuff Bags Foundation, based in Westlake Village, provides new belongings to nearly 300,000 children around the country each year who must enter crisis shelters and foster care—often without any personal items of their own.

The YMCA kids and their families will be donating such items as stuffed animals, small toys, school supplies, toiletries, baby items, clothing and handcrafted items. “The warmth and security of a blanket at a time of crisis can a great comfort to a child,” says Chrissy Withers, Triunfo YMCA associate executive director. “The YMCA is purchasing fabric so the childcare sites can make blankets to donate.”

YMCA childcare sites are located throughout the Conejo and Simi valleys and in Moorpark. Each month, the Southeast Ventura County YMCA identifies a nonprofit organization that could benefit from YMCA donations or volunteer. “The YMCA is so much more than a place to work out or swim,” explains Withers. “Our commitment to the communities we serve is one of our most important purposes.”

For more information about My Stuffed Bags, call 818-865-3860 or go to http://www.mystuffbags.org.