Participants in the Mildred Avenue Senior drop-in program recently learned from some of its members who are foster parents that kids in the care of the state’s Department of Youth Services (DYS) often move from home to home with only a trash bag to tote their belongings. With a lifetime of things built up in their homes, the seniors group decided to organize a luggage drive for the kids.

The result was dozens of pieces of lightly used luggage the seniors weren’t using donated to the DYS office on River Street.

“It’s amazing how we ask seniors in this program, and they turn up and turn out time and time again,” said Barbara Crichlow, one of the founders of the Mildred Avenue drop-in program.

“Everyone in here had luggage sitting around they weren’t using, and we don’t need it, and it will now get used where it’s needed.”

Leslie Ann Milton, a foster parent for decades, said the donations will be well used by foster kids who move often.

“I want them to have something to carry and not just a plastic bag full of their stuff,” she said. “We as a group decided that if we have old suitcases, we could donate them and help these kids to leave and arrive with dignity.”

More than 25 pieces of luggage were collected at a small ceremony earlier this month and handed over the B-3 Police officers to be delivered to the DYS River Street office.

“We did this drive now but maybe we can come up with another idea to help this same way in the spring,” said Crichlow. “This is the uniqueness of this program. Some here have gone to other senior programs around the city and nothing like this happens there.”

The Mildred Avenue Senior drop-in runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at the Mildred Avenue Community Center in Mattapan.