News  Barnstable Probate & Family Probation Staff create care packages for children in hospital emergency room

Members of the Barnstable Probate & Family Court Probation Department joined together to assemble overnight kits for children in the Cape Cod Hospital emergency room.

The 40 kits included personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes and socks as well as activities including stickers, coloring activities and supplies, and word games for the children having to spend the night at the hospital. The items for the kits were provided by the Happy Hope Foundation, purchased by the Probation Department, and coordinated by Chief Probation Officer Donna Feinberg Rachwal.

Assistant Chief Probation Officer (ACPO) Chris Hercun, and Probation Officer (PO)s: Megan Connolly, Chris Martin, Amie Scannell, Liz Chiarenza, Jordan Gardiner, as well as Court Operations Supervisor Susan Flanagan were among the participants who put the bags together.

The Happy Hope Foundation is a “nonprofit organization that delivers curated "Happy Hope Bags" filled with toys, games, and activities to hospitalized children, those in foster care, or those facing crises,” according to its website.

Happy Hope was founded in 2011 by Emi Burke, “the organization partners with corporations and volunteers to pack these items, aiming to provide joy and distraction to children in need.”