(April 5, 2022)
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Foster children in Pinellas County will now have totes to pack their belongings in when being removed from their homes, thanks to the efforts of a local elementary school principal.
“Tiny Totes help provide dignity to foster kids during an already difficult time,” a school district spokesperson wrote in an email to 10 Tampa Bay.
While Mt. Vernon Elementary School Principal Robert Ovalle is said to have led the charge for the project, it was truly a community effort. The Mike Alstott Family Foundation and St. Petersburg Police Department are both said to have donated $10,000 to support the effort.
Local business Florida State Graphics also donated their work to print the sponsor’s logo on the totes, the Town of Belleair’s police chief lent a hand and the Tiny Totes logo was created by the daughter of a Pinellas County Schools police officer.
The Tiny Totes account was set up through the Pinellas Education Foundation. Anyone interested in making a donation can do so online by adding “Tiny Totes” to the memo section.
Up next, the school district says Ovalle is planning to provide toiletry bags to go inside each foster kids’ tote.