ORLANDO, Fla. — When a Florida Christian organization set out to help children whose parents have been detained or deported by federal immigration officials, it had two goals in mind: to comfort children walking through trauma — and to stir the hearts of Christians who have been sitting on the sidelines.

Since May, volunteers from eight Orlando-area churches have packed and prayed over 103 backpacks filled with nonperishable food, hygiene products, stuffed animals, candy, and a QR code linking to legal resources and food distribution locations. Each backpack costs $40 to $50 to assemble and is distributed through four partner community organizations that serve immigrant families directly, according to Religion News Service.

The effort is organized by the Central Florida Micah Movement, an Orlando-area Christian network formed in the last year and inspired by the biblical command to "do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). The backpack idea came from Kirsty Ortega, a member of Summit Church with locations in Orlando and Lake Mary, who said community groups serving immigrants often feel helpless in the face of overwhelming need.

The kits go beyond the basics. Each backpack includes an "emotional toolkit" that helps children in distress ground themselves — encouraging them to talk about their feelings, step outside, or snuggle a stuffed animal. Tucked inside are also a handwritten note from the volunteer who packed it and a prayer for the child.

At the May launch event, Ortega told RNS that for children "walking through trauma," the backpacks carry a message from Christians and churches: "we see them, we care about them and we love them." Many participants have been evangelical, with United Methodists and a Catholic youth group joining in, and eight more churches are planning packing events.

Pastor Sócrates Pérez Jr., an organizer with the group through a broader network called UNDIVIDED, said the backpack project is "an approachable way for churches to get engaged with immigrants in a way that feels a little bit less politicized." He said packing events also expose participants to the complicated stories of families facing separation.

Micah Norwood, a 21-year-old ministry school resident at Discovery Church in Orlando, called her packing experience "a wake-up call." "This is actually affecting so many more people than we actually realize," she said.

Organizers say the backpacks are a doorway to deeper engagement. The Central Florida Micah Movement also offers coffee, printer services, and prayer every other Monday to people waiting outside their Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in appointments, and has advocated at Orange County government meetings. The group is now launching an advocacy campaign pushing Florida's U.S. senators to support a bill reinstating Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.

Pérez acknowledged that not everyone moves from service to advocacy. He described one volunteer who spent time after a packing event "wrestling" with the conflict between her politics and her "desire to be compassionate as Jesus was." But he said even those who don't take the next step "may start to ask good questions."

Source: Religion News Service.