Forsythe students clean up one amazing Closet

Sometimes, it just takes a moment to soak in the Michigan Foster Care Closet.

What looks like a typical home just east of Ann Arbor is a veritable department store for foster families. Departments by sizes and gender, a shoe section, a school supplies area, the toiletries closet, a seasonal and special event area … all packed into the basement of Rachael Siggins’ home.

“We were all amazed at the size of the space,” said Meg Hanrath, an Ann Arbor teacher who, along with her 8th grade daughter Tessa, hosted the volunteer event at the Closet on behalf of Anna’s Kindness. “It was so big and full of great items.”

After Meg, Tessa, and Rachael all greeted the Anna’s Kindness volunteers, they were given a tour of the Closet, and then set about to sort, fold, clean, and organize donations that had been dropped off. In addition to the existing donations, several more donations came in during the morning to keep the volunteers busy.

Forsythe Middle School 8th grader Kee DeKeyzer and his 6th grade brother Christian kept busy by carrying loads in and out of the garage and shed. Forsythe 6th grader Lucy Shafer along with 8th graders Tessa and Jane Ryu were skilled at quickly finding the right bins and finding spots for items that would be great on the rack right away. Meg and fellow mom Corinne Shafer folded clothes and separated them into seasons and sizes.

Several foster family parents came into the Closet to look for items: One parent was looking for diapers, while another was looking for birthday party items (birthday bags, plates, cake mix, etc…). Both left with exactly what they needed.

Thank you to the Hanraths for hosting, to Hungry Howie’s on Plymouth Road (Ann Arbor) for providing lunch to the volunteers, and to Rachael and the Michigan Foster Care Closet for their continued partnership with Anna’s Kindness.

#randomactsofanna

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