We are in Tracey’s house, but she is not here. The 17-year-old creator of Project LovePack is on Long Island at the United States Merchant Marines Academy at Kings Point, studying in the fields of logistics and engineering.
In her Glenshire living room, we see backpacks propped against each other, soft, squeezable teddy bears, rolled blankets, plastic bins packed with hair brushes, toothbrushes, Frisbees, binoculars, Sharpies, blank laminated name tags, crayons, pens, tube socks, notebooks, and journals. Tracey Gilmore might not be here, but we feel her love packed everywhere.
Most kids these days are packing their own backpacks for school. But before she left for college last month, Tracey packed other kids’ backpacks, packs she calls LovePacks.
When she was 11, Tracey read a story about ‘trash bag kids,’ who were taken from their homes and placed in foster homes because of abuse or crimes by parents or guardians. When she was 13, she entered a national contest about how to make the world a better place. She filled out the entry with that long ago story in mind. And she won. She received $2,000 to buy cool, colorful backpacks and fill them with things kids would need and love for their new lives.
Tracey’s mom lets us try packing some LovePacks. It feels really good because each thing we put in has something to say. The teddy bear says that even 17-year-old boys need something to hug. The name tag and Sharpie say that everyone deserves to write their name permanently on something. The custom-made water bottle and tube socks that Tracey will hand tie-dye when she is home for Thanksgiving say that everyone deserves to feel a little bit cool and have something made for them.
Tracey relies on others for help with LovePacks. Her dentist donates toothbrushes. Her hairdresser donates toys. She gets backpacks at a special low price. The Optimist Club of Truckee gives her money each year to keep Project LovePack going. Her family is filling the packs while she’s away at school. There’s a whole room in the Reno Police Department dedicated to LovePacks.
Tracey isn’t allowed to see the children who receive her packs. That information is very private. But once, when she was a teacher’s aid in a classroom, she walked by a girl’s desk and saw one of the LovePack water bottles. ‘It was a little shocking to see that it had been received by a little girl, in my own town, in a classroom where I was helping,’ she said.
When you water a planted seed, you get a plant. When you help children at the Boys and Girls Club, they want to swing on your arms. When you play with street children in Peru, you make friends. When you walk a rescue dog, you get licked in the face.
It takes time and effort to make these packs, and we think Tracey’s brave to do it because she doesn’t really get love back directly from the kids who receive them. She does it anyway. Tracey says, ‘These kids don’t have the ability to sort out what’s happening to them. They’re in crisis mode and deserve all we can do for them.’
