Dr. Gina M. Pallotta
Associate Professor and Chair
California State University, Stanislaus
Psychology Department
801 West Monte Vista Avenue
Turlock, CA 95382
(209) 667-3505
FAX (209) 545-5141

The My Stuff Bags Foundation

I am sorry that this letter of thanks is so late. I wish to express my sincere thanks for the My Stuff Bags your organization donated to the children impacted by Hurricane Katrina. I am a child psychologist and volunteered with the American Red Cross to provide crisis counseling for the victims of Katrina. I worked in a service center in Centreville, Mississippi. The service center provided financial aid, food, clothing, medical care and crisis counseling. We saw anywhere from 500 to 700 families a day. I set up a children’s area where the children could come and play and also receive counseling while their parents waited anywhere from 8 to 12 hours to be processed through the service center. Every child who came through the service center received a bag (until we ran out). I cannot even begin to explain how much your bags meant to the children. They would actually get tears in their eyes because they had a blanket, toy, toothbrush and toothpaste again. These children had lost EVERYTHING and your bags gave them something of their own again. I have enclosed a picture of several children in the children’s area. The one child with the blanket over him was so excited when he opened your bag. He took the blanket out, took his shoes off and then covered himself with the blanket and took a nap right on the concrete floor! The picture is when he woke up and he was still so excited that he had a blanket! You will never know what a difference you made in the lives of all the children we serviced. Again, my deep and sincere thanks to your organization!

Sincerely,



Dr. Gina M. Pallotta