My Heart Broke When I Learned What These Suitcases Were For

During the holiday seasons, comedic actor Tiffany Haddish made a difference in dozens of children’s lives. Because Haddish has skyrocketed to the pinnacle of success over the last few years, she has been able to share some of the spoils with people in need. Last month, the Indiana Department of Child Services revealed that Haddish had made a generous donation over more than one hundred suitcases loaded with goodies to be distributed to foster children in need during the holiday season.

The Indiana Department of Child Services was overflowing with gratitude to the 41-year-old actor for her generous donation to children in need. Haddish decided to create the suitcases and distribute them to the needy Indiana children because she had to experience the flaws of the system when she was a child. Instead of having a suitcase to carry her belongings while she was stuck in the foster care system, Haddish only had a black garbage bag.

Haddish appeared on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman and told the host that she was thrust into the foster care system after her mother got injured in a car accident. Her mother was in such bad shape following the crash that she had to relearn basic living skills and was incapable of raising a rambunctious daughter like Haddish.

“I used to think she was demonized. Like, I thought, like maybe somebody else jumped inside her body, like ‘where is my mommy?’”

Haddish was victimized throughout her childhood and eventually moved into the foster care system. Her family did not have much money, which forced Haddish and her siblings to move from home to home with only garbage bags to hold their belongings. Haddish hated that they had to do this.

After Haddish told her story on Letterman’s new program, Shanell Manuel, a foster care specialist supervisor for Lake County, contacted Haddish with an idea.

“I’ve been in this agency for 18 years. I have been taking children out of homes and moving them to other homes, and…I see those garbage bags. It’s unfortunate that we still have to do that,” Manuel stated.

Manuel contacted the She Ready Foundation, which was founded by Haddish to enrich the lives of children in the foster care system. Before Manuel could take a deep breath, Haddish’s publicist responded and told Manuel to expect delivery of more than 100 suitcases in time for the Christmas holiday.

When the suitcases arrived, the Indiana DCS posted a picture of the amazing haul on their official Twitter account. Indiana Department of Child Services Regional Manager for Lake County Ellis Dumas confirmed that Haddish’s donation was so wonderful because the suitcases would be put to good use by all the children.

“Often, it’s hard to buy gifts for teenagers in general. So to be able to give them something that they’re going to be tangibly using is always phenomenal and awesome — Miss Haddish made that possible,” Dumas said. “The suitcases in themselves, and who they came from Miss Haddish, Tiffany Haddish, is a sentiment to our foster children that there’s a success and support out there.”

What do you think about Haddish’s donation to children in Indiana?