Provided by Prince William County Schools (PWCS)
When human trafficking survivors are recovered, they often do not have many (or any) personal belongings and are wearing the same clothing they wore when trafficked. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children established the “Hope Bag” collection years ago and encourages local communities to continue this effort.
Hope Bags are simple cinch sacks or backpacks that contain basic clothing and hygiene items as well as snacks. The supplies allow survivors to shower and change into clean clothes after they are recovered.
PWCS school social workers reached out to individual schools, friends, and family members to collect donations for the Hope Bags. The collaborative effort with the Virginia Trafficking Response Coordinator and the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services garnered an overwhelming response from the community. The donated supplies filled Hope Bags for federal and local law enforcement, child advocacy centers and other agencies to distribute to human trafficking survivors. Thank you school social workers and all those who contributed.
