Our Story
Our founder, Rob Scheer, was given a bin bag to pack his belongings in as he entered his first foster home at the age of 12. When he left the system at 18, he became homeless and again packed up his belongings in a bin bag. Nearly 30 years later when he became a foster parent himself, his four children arrived at his home with bin bags. He was saddened that nothing had changed. In 2013, Rob’s family and their community founded Comfort Cases in the US and set out on a mission to eliminate bin bags from the foster care system.
The comfort cases uk team
Sarah Laster - Chief Executive Officer
Having worked with children in some capacity for most of my adult life, I have a strong affiliation to the care and protection of young people. I am lucky to come from a loving home and am able to provide stability for my own children. The fact that some children cannot take that for granted has affected me deeply. That children might consider themselves worthless or less important than others, merely because they are victims of their circumstances inspires me to take action. YDWD opened my eyes to the power of goodwill of humankind and community spirit. I was made acutely aware of how excellent organisation, planning and motivation behind the scenes in conjunction with the generosity and commitment of local communities can achieve amazing results for a common cause. We might not be able to change a system., but we can unite in acts of humanity and kindness. Comfort Cases UK is a natural progression for our team, and I am determined to show the thousands of children in care across the UK feel that they are valued and loved.
Katie Commissar Icklow - Chief of Operations & Financial Control
As a founder member of the ‘You Donate We Deliver’ team I am so excited to be part of the UK branch of ‘Comfort Cases’. Being passionate about helping others and knowing how well we all work together I am confident we can create the same success in the UK as Comfort Cases USA have achieved. Looking forward to moving forward with this amazing charity.
Jackie Commissar - Founding Trustee
As one of the original four from YDWD, and the ‘Glam Grandma’ of the group, it was a natural desire to want to continue working with our amazing team. After discovering Rob Scheer and ‘Comfort Cases’ in the USA through my son’s work with inspirational people, I knew this would be a perfect fit for us all. Working together for the best part of a year throughout 2 lockdowns whilst packing food for the NHS we knew we could make ‘Comfort Cases UK’ as successful as it is in the USA. I am thrilled that we are continuing our team work and helping children to move from their home with dignity, and a Comfort Case, packed with love from us all. Here’s to the next chapter!
Richard Adler - Head of Trustees
As the son of two incredible parents who grew up surrounded by nothing but love - and now as a father of three amazing boys, I was so saddened to hear of the traumas that other children in the world face at such a vulnerable time in their lives.
Having worked with my adopted “You Donate We Deliver” family over the last year, I know that our small group of wonderful friends can make a huge difference to the lives of kids in the foster care system here in the UK, just as Rob and his team have done in the US.
My goal is to give back some of the love and care that I have had from my family to children that need it most and I can’t wait to get started on my journey with Comfort Cases UK.
Simone Krieger
My involvement with You Donate We Deliver began on my 50th birthday at the start of the first lockdown. Meeting and working with such an inspiring group of people was the best birthday present I could have asked for! Starting our new venture, Comfort Cases UK, is an opportunity to build on the foundations we’ve laid as a hardworking and talented group. I feel it’s a huge honour to continue working with them to achieve positive things for our world. Comfort Cases is a particularly amazing cause as it’s going to positively affect the lives of young people who may otherwise be overlooked. They’re the future of our great country and deserve to have the best possible chance of achieving their potential. With the dignity that our bags will give these children, I believe that going into foster care will have a better start - taking some of the anxieties that they face and turning them into positive vibes.
