Deputies Deliver Backpacks of Love
Pictured from left in the front row are St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron, Sierra Thomas, Lisa Sheehan, and Taylor Pyles. In the back row are Lt. Eric Sweeney, Major John Horne, and Kristi Larson. The group came together to facilitate a Backpacks of Love program for children who have been placed in foster care.
There are thousands of possible circumstances that could lead to a child being placed in foster care, but every case has one thing in common: the children are scared, and they need love and understanding. To show that someone is always thinking of them, some St. Mary’s County organizations have teamed up to provide “Backpacks of Love” to children: backpacks that are filled with essential gender- and age-specific items.
Children who are taken into foster care face many difficulties, and often leave their homes with just a few possessions, and those things are sometimes placed in trash bags. Backpacks of Love are provided through the team effort of the non-profit Blue Ribbon Project and the Department of Social Services Child Advocacy Center.
When deputies in the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office heard of the Blue Ribbon Project, they began working to implement it here in the county. On Sept. 22, 2016, deputies and employees of Child Protective Services received 75 backpacks that will be distributed to foster children when they are placed in foster homes. The items inside are appropriate for children from newborn to teens.
“It’s an honor for me to see how much the Blue Ribbon Project continues to grow. It’s great to see our expansion continue to St. Mary’s County and it’s a wonderful feeling to be a part of these communities,” said Tom “Taylor” Pyles, founder of the project.
“Criminal Investigations detectives are often called to investigate child abuse cases simultaneously with Child Protective Services, and are familiar with the devastation a child goes through when the hard decision is made to remove them from their homes,” said St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron. “There is no doubt that these children are most deserving of our care and compassion, and we are grateful that we could add this benefit to the services we render.”
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