Hillsborough Children’s Services, TPA turn unclaimed luggage into Duffels of Dignity

Checked luggage is supposed to depart Tampa International Airport (TPA)  on the same flight as the passenger who owns it. It rolls across ticketing floors, disappears down conveyor belts, and travels thousands of miles. 

But every so often, a suitcase misses its flight. Now, some of those forgotten bags are going back in circulation for a purpose.

A partnership between TPA and Hillsborough County Children’s Services’ Duffels of Dignity program provides unclaimed luggage to foster youth and children facing homelessness, emergency shelter placements, and other traumatic circumstances.

A suitcase keeps their personal belongings safe and secure and provides some stability in trying times.

“A suitcase may seem small, but for a child entering a new home, it can be a symbol of dignity,” explains Hillsborough County Children’s Services Administrative Services Coordinator Craig Jewesak. 

Jewesak has been with Hillsborough County government for 16 years, the past five with Children’s Services. Before that, he worked for former County Commissioner Sandy Murman, whose advocacy for at-risk children and women escaping domestic violence helped shape his understanding of what vulnerable families need.

But the idea behind Duffels of Dignity came from a much quieter moment.

Jewesak and his wife had purchased new luggage, and his wife suggested donating their gently used carry-on bags to children. That simple suggestion immediately brought to mind an image he had seen too often: foster youth carrying their belongings in trash bags as they entered care or moved between placements.

“What if Hillsborough County Children’s Services launched a year-round luggage and duffel bag donation program for foster youth and at-risk children?” he recalls thinking.

That thought launched Duffels of Dignity in October 2022. Since then, more than 2,000 new and gently used bags and thousands of personal care items have been donated through the program. 

“A natural fit”

About two years ago, Jewesak was watching a television news segment about TPA’s lost and found. For most viewers, it was an interesting behind-the-scenes glimpse at the airport. For Jewesak, it was a lightbulb moment and an opportunity.

“It immediately struck me that a partnership between TPA and Duffels of Dignity was a natural fit,” he recalls.

He began reaching out to contacts at TPA and the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority to propose a one-time donation event. It did not happen overnight. Airport representatives asked detailed questions about the program, where the luggage would go, and how donated items would be used. He shared documentation and explained Children’s Services’ existing partnerships.

“Once they saw the impact, they were all in,” Jewesak shares.

A former Aviation Authority employee connected Jewesak with Shannon Boos, Senior Manager of Guest Experience at TPA. From the airport’s perspective, the partnership offered a chance to turn unclaimed property into something far more meaningful. The first donation event in 2025 proved so successful that TPA decided to make it an annual effort.

“We have received overwhelming positive response and feedback not only from TPA, but our community partners as well,” Boos shares.

A suitcase’s second journey

Before any suitcase can begin its second journey, TPA makes every effort to reunite lost property with its owner. The airport holds items for at least 30 days before they are prepared for donation. If staff can identify an owner, Boos says that they will contact that person as many times as necessary to try to arrange a reunion. Only after that process do eligible unclaimed items move on to community partners.

And the airport’s giving extends well beyond luggage. TPA donates usable clothing, blankets, pillows, eyeglasses, unused toiletries, cell phones, and other items to local organizations. Its community partners include the Lions Club of Tampa Bay, Pet Resource Center, The Spring of Tampa Bay, Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Duffels of Dignity.

The charitable giving has created a ripple effect.

“The donation of the luggage alone to Duffels of Dignity has driven other community partners to reach out in hopes we can support them as well,” Boos notes.

Jewesak says he is continually surprised by the condition of the bags TPA donates. Many look nearly new. Duffels and smaller suitcases are especially useful for the children the program serves. They are sturdy enough to carry clothes and personal belongings. 

Perhaps more importantly, they are something a child can call their own. For a young person experiencing upheaval, that distinction matters. A trash bag says temporary. A suitcase says your things are worth carrying with care.

The blue toothbrush

Sometimes, though, dignity comes in an even smaller package.

At a recent West Florida Foster Services Inc. event for foster families, Jewesak helped staff a table filled with donated items, including many from TPA. Children were not simply handed whatever was available. They were invited to choose from a selection that included backpacks, duffel bags, teddy bears, new blankets, and toothbrushes. Jewesak watched as a boy who looked to be about eight-years-old surveyed the table and chose a blue toothbrush.

“That moment stayed with me,” he says. “For children who carry so much trauma, you never know what small, specific thing will resonate or simply brighten their day.”

It is an easy object to overlook. A toothbrush costs little. It fits in one hand. But to that child, in that moment, it was his choice. And sometimes dignity begins there.

More than taxiways and runways

Florida ranks third in the nation for children in foster care, and Hillsborough County is home to one of the largest populations of youth receiving support, Jewesak says. 

“While not everyone can welcome a foster child into their home, everyone can play a part. Real change happens when a community comes together,” he emphasizes.

That philosophy is also at the heart of TPA’s participation.

“TPA is more than an airport,” Boos added. “We are more than taxiways and runways. We are a pillar within our Tampa Bay community and proud to be able to partner with so many local organizations to turn items left behind into dignity and support for those in need.”

For the children, the donated luggage represents a bag of their own, a place for their belongings, and a little dignity to carry wherever they go next.

For more information, go to Duffels of Dignity