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StellarFi in the Community: Carrying Hope

Key Takeaways

StellarFi is a public benefit corporation, which means that being of service is at the core of everything we do.

While the StellarFi crew was gathered together in Austin, everyone pitched in for a cause that tugged at our heartstrings: preparing Hope Packs with Carrying Hope for babies and children entering new foster homes.

Carrying Hope to an underserved community

In Texas, more than 22,000 infants and children are removed from their homes by Child Protective Services each year.

When these children are placed in foster homes, they often arrive with no essentials and no time for their foster families to prepare.

Local Austin nonprofit Carrying Hope aims to provide these little ones and their foster families with the items they need most, like formula, clothing, diapers, blankets, toys, hygiene items, and even nightlights to help them feel safe sleeping in a new environment.

The incredible founders of Carrying Hope facilitated the event, beginning with an emotional and inspiring video which discussed the impact of their mission.

Next, Carrying Hope put us to work! Our crew formed an assembly line to create 60 StellarFi-sponsored Hope Packs for newborns and young children.

Children's backpacks with tags that say Carrying Hope
Carrying Hope backpacks are filled with everything a child might need during their first 24-48 hours in a new foster home.
A row of StellarFi employees inspects items like children's clothing which will be included in the hope packs.
Daniel, Melisa, Jenaya, and Luis focus to ensure that no Hope Pack is missing an item.
Smiling StellarFi employees place items into colorful backpacks for children in Texas
The StellarFi team works “assembly line” style to fill Hope Packs for children in Texas.
Two individuals with very cute glasses make paper cutouts to add to cards for local foster children
Steph and Blake opted to design sweet cards to encourage and support the children and foster families served by Carrying Hope.
Two young women focus on colorful drawings using markers and crayons
Hosanna and Halle add colorful illustrations to the hand-written cards, which are included with each Hope Pack.
The StellarFi team is grouped together holding Hope Packs, joined by Hope the Hedgehog, a person in a large hedgehog costume
We were even joined by a special guest, Hope the Hedgehog!

Overall, it was a fulfilling morning of community service. We considered it a sign of effective teamwork that not one Hope Pack was missing an item after our final QA process was complete!

Why is it important to give back?

StellarFi founder Lamine Zarrad explained why the company operates as a public benefit corporation:

“We are part of this community and our StellarFi members are part of this community. It makes sense to prioritize giving back. Not just because it feels good to do it, but because there’s a ripple effect when you focus on strengthening the people in your community who need it most.”

Hope Packs zipped, hearts lifted

Mauri Elbel, co-founder of Carrying Hope (along with Kristin Finan, who also facilitated the event), discussed the impact of working together with local organizations:

“Corporate events allow us to make a bulk batch of Hope Packs, which means we can get them into the hands of kids who need them, faster. This is huge for us, and support from companies like StellarFi is a big part of being about to do what we do.”

Thank you from the StellarFi crew to Carrying Hope for the opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

If you’d like to support Carrying Hope, you can find donation information, supply lists, and more at CarryingHope.org.

Author

StellarFi (StellarFinance, Inc.) and its affiliates do not provide financial, tax, legal, or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult your own financial, tax, legal, and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction. StellarFi receives a referral fee from the partners mentioned in this article.

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