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My Girl Scout Troop and I recently earned our Bronze Award by helping foster children. We learned about foster children in Minnesota and Chisago County and how we could help them. We found this organization called ¨Safe Haven Foster Shoppe¨ and learned about their mission. They provide backpacks filled with blankets, new clothing, pajamas, shoes, personal hygiene items and a book.

We tied blankets and raised donations by talking with family and friends. We also volunteered to help at the shop; we helped with inventory and packed backpacks for kids. It was a great experience for my troop and myself.

Safe Haven is a non-profit organization that helps foster kids get what they need. Their mission is to help as many foster children as they can to get things they don't have like clothes. There are over 420,000 children in the United States in foster care, many of them in Minnesota.  Most kids in foster care get moved to new foster homes during times of crisis so they are unable to bring necessary clothing and personal items with them.  Organizations like Safe Haven help these kids. They usually need clothes, toothbrushes, and other essentials; babies need diapers, wipes and baby food.

If you want to help Safe Haven, you can donate new clothing, blankets or hygiene items or volunteer at the shop in Lindstrom. Visit their
website, safehavenfoster shoppe.org for more information.

On Saturday, October 13, there will be a fundraiser for Safe Haven at Route 65 Pub and Grub in East Bethel. There will be live music, silent auctions, pumpkins, a cornhole tournament, $5 burger baskets and more. The day runs from noon to 7 p.m.

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