Backpack Blessing

I just wanted to share what a blessing Abby’s Closet was for a student last week. Last Wednesday, I was called to the office by the secretary. When I got there, she pulled me aside and explained there was a lady and her two children enrolling. They were forced to leave their home in the middle of the night due to the abusive husband/father. I took the mother to Abby’s Closet, and briefed her on the purpose of the closet and how it came to be. As I gather the things her children would need, I placed the items in our last two backpacks. When I handed the packs to the mother, she began to cry. I hugged her and said it would be okay. She went on to say, “You don’t know what this backpack means to my son. He is autistic, and one of his issues is with routine and he is obsessive about his belongings. He carries all that he considers valuable in his backpack. When we left last night, he had to leave his backpack. He became hysterical and I had no money to buy him a new one. He will be so excited to have a new backpack with ‘his own’ stuff in it, you have no idea.”