Garbage Bag Challenge aims to provide suitcases to foster children

A Vancouver woman has started a project called The Garbage Bag Challenge, but it has more to do with lifting children's spirits than taking out the trash.

Violet Rose wantsto help foster children byproviding the small measure of dignity that can be found in a simple suitcase.

Rose herself grew up as a ward of the government, and recalls the many times she had to move homes,oftenwith little or no warning.

• Read more about the Garbage Bag Challenge

"I didn't really have a say in any of it," said Rose. "I'd just be told that this is where I was going to go liveand I'd get all my stuff together and I would go live there."

The experiencewas made even more distressing because each time she was told to pack up her things, shewas handed a garbage bag to pack her stuff into.

"It's the message it sends," she said. "Just think for a few minutes, if someone showed up and said you needed to leave and handed you a garbagebag."

Rose believes using a garbage bag rather than a proper suitcase can't help but send a message to foster children that they themselves are disposable. That's the driving force behind the Garbage Bag Challenge.

"I have avision, here in Vancouver and in B.C. and in all of Canada that every ministry office have a space dedicated where they have suitcases on hand," said Rose.

"It's not just some kids. It's every single child is being ensured they're given a suitcase."

Cara Willemsheard about the project and donated a number of suitcases after getting friends and family involved.

"It's such a small part of the big crazy situation [foster children] arein, but my hope was in donating that for at least one moment, one kid can know somebody was thinking of them, and is loving them," said Willems.

Rose has turned herself into a walking billboard for her campaign by committing to carrying around a garbage bag instead of a purse for a full year.

A sign attached to the bag says, "Ask me how this garbage bag is helping to create healthier transitions for foster children/youth in Vancouver."

• Read more about the Garbage Bag Challenge

What's your story?

This story is part of a specialCBC Vancouver News series,What's Your Story?The series focuses onissues pitched by our audience about what matters to them.

If you have a story to pitch about an issue in your community, send it tomylocalstory@cbc.ca