Day 1 Bags

05/30/2026

Markus is looking for a forever family.🥰

05/29/2026

Graduation was filled with smiles, support, and celebration as foster teens stepped confidently into adulthood.
“Being seen and celebrated is one of the most important parts of becoming an adult. I love my quilt!” — Tate, 2026 graduate.�
Huge thanks to everyone who donated to our Adopt a Senior from Foster Care SJRC Texas & Belong sponsors for helping these teens feel valued and proud. The Harvey E. Najim Charitable Foundation, Guidehouse, STANLEY, Bombas, Temple Beth-El San Antonio

05/27/2026

We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of Temple Beth-El San Antonio and the Kimmelman Charitable Trust Fund. Their gift to the Day 1 Bags Class of 2026 Bexar County high school graduates will help ensure these students feel celebrated, supported, and recognized for their accomplishments as they prepare for their next chapter.

05/27/2026

We’re grateful to see conversations about foster care reaching a wider audience. Awareness matters because it helps people better understand the realities that youth in care face, including something as simple but heartbreaking as carrying their belongings in trash bags.
Thank you, The Kelly Clarkson Show, for using your platform to raise awareness.
More info on how you can eliminate trash bags for youth in foster care, check https://day1bags.org/donate/

Foster Love

05/21/2026

Honored to be recognized again as a 4-time Longhorn 100 winner and one of only five organizations to make the list every year.

Being named the #12 fastest-growing Longhorn business in 2026 is more than a milestone for Day 1 Bags. It represents thousands of youth in foster care receiving dignity, comfort, and support during life’s hardest moments.

Thank you to every donor, partner, volunteer, and advocate who continues to believe that kids in foster care deserve better. 🧡

Texas Exes

05/20/2026

Huge Thank You to Najim Charitable Foundation for their generous donation. Every graduating foster youth in the San Antonio area will receive $250 in gifts AND a beautiful handmade quilt this graduation season!
We are beyond grateful for this donation that allows us to celebrate these incredible seniors and their achievements. The Harvey E. Najim Charitable Foundation SJRC Texas & Belong

05/16/2026

Three seniors.
Three college dreams (with acceptance letters in hand!)
Three lives changed forever. 🎓

Just days before our graduation celebration, we learned 3 youth from foster care heading to college all still need one critical tool for success: a laptop.

We are trying to secure THREE 15” MacBook Airs in the next 36 hours.

These students fought through obstacles most people will never experience, and still earned their place in college. Now we need the community to help them get off to a strong start.

A laptop is no longer optional in college. It’s survival.

Can you help? Any amount matters. If you can’t give, please share. ❤️

Donate here:
https://day1bags.org/donate/


*Photo is representative of the Class of 2026 and not the actual graduates.

05/14/2026

We would be honored to receive your vote for this grant opportunity. Your support helps us continue making a meaningful impact and expanding the work we do for the youth in care.

Thank you for believing in our mission and standing alongside us!

🗳️ Reminder—voting is still open!

BEC members, there’s still time to take part in the 2026 BEC Foundation Member Choice Contest. Your vote helps decide which local nonprofit will receive the $5,000 grant to support their important work in our community.

⏳ Voting is open through May 22
👉 Cast your vote here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5CW6LKM

Every vote makes a difference. Thank you for supporting our local organizations!

05/14/2026

Bexar County (San Antonio) Law Enforcement News: Day 1 Bags has partnered with the Bexar County Child Welfare Board and volunteers to deploy ASAP Bags directly to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and San Antonio Police Department for 5 years now.

Our ASAP Bags are placed in patrol vehicles so they’re there at the point of removal, trauma, and domestic violence situations involving children.

The feedback is that this bag is a standard issue, not an optional tool, in each patrol car. "𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘨, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯."

If the 16th-largest county in the U.S. can implement and sustain something this simple, any county, rural or metro, can do the same. We have surpassed 9000 bags so far across the country, just with this one Day 1 Bags initiative that started in East Texas - Tim Allen.

Email us if you want this as a meaningful service project: [email protected]

05/12/2026

The 7th Annual Day 1 Bags Class of 2026 Adopt a Senior from Foster Care campaign is officially underway, honoring the first of 600 graduating seniors from foster care with really nice gifts and their very own quilt.

One of the graduates shared, "I have changed homes, schools, lost people, started over again and again, or tried to focus in class while carrying a lot of stress and never being adopted. There were times I wanted to give up, and I felt alone. Graduating wasn’t easy for me. But today, it reminded me that my story is bigger than what I’ve been through. For once, I didn’t feel like just another foster kid. I can't believe I did it. Thank you for believing in me.”

Too many youth from foster care fight their way to graduation without stable support, encouragement, or even someone cheering them on. Thank you to the supporters who help us change that for the Class of 2026.