The Backpack Project working to help area foster children The Backpack Project helping foster children in Acadiana 07/16/21 and last updated 2021-07-16 23:46:41-04 Foster children in Acadiana will soon be ready for school with brand new supplies, thanks to an initiative called The Backpack Project. In its sixth year, The Backpack Project aims to help out foster children and families ahead of the 2021-22 school year. Organizers explain that when a child is removed from their home, they are placed in a foster home within 2-4 hours. As mandated by the Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS), the child must return to school within three days of removal, and this is usually a different school based on the location of the family. When a child enters care, they may have only the clothes on their backs, and the foster family is responsible for purchasing everything the child will need for school. Also, many children are removed in the middle of the school year and need to purchase all new supplies to attend the new school, organizers say.