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Khloe Thompson was 8 years old when she started noticing women living on the streets of California. With help from her family, she turned fabric, thread, and basic hygiene items into “Kare Bags,” handmade bags for homeless people in Los Angeles. The initiative became the organization Khloe Kares and had distributed more than 5 thousand bags by 2019, according to Points of Light.
Khloe Thompson was a child from Irvine, California, when a repeated scene on the way to school changed her family’s routine. She saw women and families living on the streets and began to ask why those people were there.
The answer didn’t just turn into a conversation at home. In 2015, at the age of 8, Khloe created Khloe Kares, a non-profit organization focused on homeless people, especially women and young people without housing.
The idea started simply. Khloe learned from her grandmother how to sew sturdy bags and began filling them with products that are lacking in the daily life of those living without a bathroom, closet, or fixed address.
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According to Points of Light, each bag contained items like toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, lotion, sanitary pads, socks, and underwear, in quantities sufficient for two to three months. By 2019, more than 5 thousand “Kare Bags” had been delivered through partnerships with companies, churches, and local organizations.
The scene on the way to school turned into a difficult question at home
Points of Light / Youtube
What caught Khloe’s attention wasn’t a campaign, nor a lesson on philanthropy. It was the repetition. On the way to school, she passed by the same people living without housing and began to realize that it wasn’t something distant.
According to information published on Khloe Kares’ own website, the girl’s story gained attention in 2016 when outlets like Business Insider, Huffington Post, Metro UK, and Inside Edition reported that she made handmade bags for homeless women. The organization’s material notes that Khloe saw homeless people on her way to school and decided to put together packages with basic supplies.
The first response came from sewing. With her grandmother, she learned to make fabric bags, not just disposable bags. The choice made a difference because women could carry the items with more dignity and reuse the piece.
The gesture also broke away from the logic of just handing out loose products. The bag had a practical purpose. For those living on the street, storing a toothbrush, a clean sock, or a dry pad can be as important as receiving the product.
The “Kare Bags” combined sewing, hygiene, and a need that many people don’t see
The bags created by Khloe became known as “Kare Bags”. The name mixes the organization’s surname with the idea of care. The content was straightforward, without luxury and without decorative items.
Inside them were hygiene products and basic necessities. The list included soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, lotion, pads, socks, and underwear. These are cheap products when bought individually, but they are out of reach for those who have lost income, housing, and regular access to bathrooms.
Khloe Kares’ local mission itself summarizes this focus. The organization’s official website says that the work aims to improve the lives of homeless women and youth by providing the necessary tools for the transition from the streets to stable housing.
This part explains why the story gained traction. Khloe did not solve the homelessness problem in Los Angeles on her own, but she tackled a concrete layer of the crisis. She chose items that a person uses every day and that tend to disappear from the routine when the home disappears.
Los Angeles helps explain why the initiative grew so much
The initiative was born in Irvine but gained impact in a region where homelessness is one of the most visible social crises in the United States. Los Angeles has had a large population living in shelters, cars, sidewalks, tents, and makeshift areas for years.
In 2025, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority reported that the homeless population in the county had decreased for the second consecutive year. Even so, the survey still pointed to 72,308 homeless people in Los Angeles County in the results released in July of that year.
After a review with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, LAHSA adjusted the total to 72,195 people, with 47,450 living without formal shelter in the county. The agency itself stated that the changes were within the margin of error and were made after data review.
These numbers help put Khloe’s story in the right context. A child’s initiative does not replace public policy, housing, employment, mental health, or shelter. But it shows how homelessness also appears in small details, like a clean sock, a bar of soap, a stored toothbrush, and a sanitary pad available at the right moment.
The girl who started sewing at home began to mobilize companies, churches, and volunteers
Points of Light / Youtube
The project was not restricted to a family action. Over time, Khloe Kares began working with companies, churches, and local organizations to assemble and distribute the bags. This model helped to increase the scale without abandoning the original idea.
Points of Light recognized Khloe in 2019 with the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award. At the time, she was 12 years old and was already presented as an example of a young volunteer capable of mobilizing her own community.
The organization also expanded its scope. In addition to local actions with homeless people, the official website reports international activities in African communities, focusing on safe water access. The Khloe Kares page cites actions in Ghana, including annual missions and community projects.
Even with the expansion, the origin of the story remains the strongest part. A child saw a problem on the way to school, asked questions at home, and found a concrete way to help. It didn’t start with big money; it started with fabric, sewing, and hygiene items.
Do you believe that small actions like Khloe’s can change how society views homeless people? Leave your opinion in the comments and share if you’ve seen a similar initiative in your city.
