Back
In Umatilla County, Oregon, one nonprofit is ensuring foster children, youth experiencing homelessness, and at-risk families can not only get the products they need but also experience the joy of getting what they want.
When a child is placed in foster care, they sometimes arrive with only a bag of their most treasured belongings – they pack their favorite stuffy, their go-to sweatshirt, the irreplaceable things that make up a childhood. When they are given minutes to pack these items, they often forget the essentials – the socks, the underwear, shampoo, a toothbrush. This results in foster families paying out of pocket for the essentials and entirely new wardrobe.
That is the gap filled by Sweet Potato’s Closet in Hermiston, Oregon, with product support from Good360.
Jessie Avalos is a foster parent who called her community to action when a child was placed in her care with nothing but a duffle bag. Ever since that day, she knew she had to do something – not only for her new foster child, but for her entire county. Jessie founded Sweet Potato’s Closet, which now serves 300 families per month through a network of 15 community partners and has become a vital resource in a region that has been quietly in crisis for years.
When people talk about needs compounding, they often point to something recent. In Umatilla County, the need has continually surged with no signs of relief.
“We’ve always had an insane need in our community,” Jessie explained. “I do believe it has had an uptick, because people who were previously able to afford diapers can’t now. Food costs more, food stamps aren’t stretching as far, so then they have to buy food and now they can’t buy diapers.”
Briana (Bri) Reyes, a case specialist who supports at-risk youth and low-income families in Umatilla County, shared: “We’ve been in triage mode over on this side of the state for years,” Bri quotes. “We were already at a level ten of need. And it’s just continuing.”
Rural communities face many barriers, including limited transportation, fewer nonprofit organizations, stretched government programming, and the cost of living rising faster than wages or assistance can keep up with. Families fall through the gaps, including those who care for foster children.
A Web of Community Support Created by Product Donations
Jessie shared that she started Sweet Potato’s Closet on accident – simply seeking help for her own foster child, which turned into a full storage unit, then a warehouse, then a Main Street storefront. Now, she works with social workers like Bri and other care providers to ensure foster youth, youth experiencing homelessness, and at-risk youth have access to what they need, every day.
“A lot of my families come with nothing,” shares Bri, “And here, we (Sweet Potato’s Closet) have everything.”
That ‘everything’ matters because it makes the rest of the work possible. Good360 and Sweet Potato’s Closet ensure children and families have essential products like diapers, laundry detergent, deodorant, period products, clothing, so they can continue on their path of finding sustained stability.
“This is the solve,” Jessie says. “If we can ensure people have the hygiene products and clothes and diapers, then they can focus on paying their rent and utilities and gas to get their kids to school. The ripple effects of products are so strong. When people have products, they can spend time with their kids. They can be more present. We provide the stuff, then community care providers can go into the home and figure out: is this a budget thing, an income thing, do you need help with an interview? How can we get them on their feet? But we can’t get them on their feet if they don’t have proper stuff.”
What Happens When Basic Needs Are Met: Foster Families Thrive
There is a clear difference between surviving and living. It’s the difference between spending mental energy to calculate if you can afford diapers this month or being fully present for your child. It’s the difference between skipping school for fear of being bullied for your clothes or showing up with confidence.
“How can we expect kids to go to school and be good students if they’re getting bullied for being the smelly kid?” Jessie asks, “We need to give them deodorant and soap. That way they can go to school and be the best version of themselves. And that’s the same for parents. How are they going to get a job if their first impression is that they’re not clean? They’re not going to be able to get a job and get themselves out of that hole.”
When basic needs are covered, families have space for something more. Rachelle, a biological and foster mother of eight, found that with the help of Sweet Potato’s Closet, she could finally take her kids out to eat a couple of times a month or afford to treat her foster daughter to a hair appointment. These are small things that bring confidence and dignity as a parent when you’re in survival mode.
Why Name-Brand Product Donations Have an Outsized Impact on Dignity and Confidence
Sweet Potato’s closet and Good360 give out more than just items. There is an emphasis on providing quality, name brand goods from corporate partners like Bath & Body Works. “The name brand products do make a difference for everybody, not just kids,” Jessie says. “Our families are buying name brands? No – they’re getting store brands, getting the stuff to squeak by. So, when they get a name brand, that’s a luxury item and it gives them a sense of dignity. They’re more than the bare minimum. They can go out and get that job. They can go to school.”
When Sweet Potato’s Closet posted that they received a Bath & Body Works donation, the response from Bri’s families was immediate. “So many of my clients were like, oh my gosh, that’s so amazing,” Bri recalls. “Can I get one, do you have any for us, can we go in there? It is important for people to have the name brand stuff because so many can’t afford it. They’re just getting by with generic brands. And they don’t get to have that luxury stuff that everybody else does. So, it’s so nice that we have it here and we can just give it to them.”
“I had taken some laundry soap to one of my clients and picked them up for a transport. I was like, oh my gosh, your clothes smell amazing. And they said — it’s the Bath and Body Works detergent. If my clothes smell good, my house smells great. It just makes me feel better. They were so glad I noticed.”
— Bri, Community Social Worker, Umatilla County CARE Program
Ultimately, every bottle of lotion, every good-smelling detergent, every donated product lifts a weight that too many families quietly carry. When the essentials are taken care of, parents can be present for their children, students can show up to school confident and ready to learn, and everyone can give their best at work and in life. Product donations give people back their time, their energy, and their peace of mind. Because when you’re no longer consumed by the stress of meeting basic needs, you’re free to invest in what matters most: the people you love and the future you’re building.
