Foster parents and advocates for children in the system are no strangers to children arriving at their doorsteps with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Even when children who are entering, the foster care system are allowed to bring items from home, typically those items have been hastily shoved into a trash bag.
We want better for them.
are removed from their homes by CPS in the state of Texas every year
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Carrying Hope consulted with local foster care agencies and CPS to come up with the idea for Hope Packs – backpacks or diaper bags filled with items that children who are entering the system need the most.
After receiving the completed packs, they are distributed to agencies and CPS caseworkers who can take them along when they’re placing children in new homes.
Just placed a 10-day-old baby girl. She came with absolutely nothing (not even formula) and one of the diaper bags you guys donated was a lifesaver for her and the foster family! Thank you and all the donors so much for your hard work — you are meeting a huge need!
Carrying Hope is one of the most impactful organizations in Austin. I requested Hope Packs for a group of six siblings that recently moved in with their grandmother. When delivering the packs, each child’s face brightened and they ran to see what was inside. They were excited to read their names and knew someone had thought specifically of them.
The kids are excited about literally everything in their Hope Pack. They love the toys, the flashlights are a huge hit, the nightlights are super helpful because a lot of these kids are terrified of the dark, and some of the kids really attach to their stuffed animal and will carry it around for the entire night.
Since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016, Carrying Hope has distributed
to foster children in need
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Kristin Finan, co-founder/president/CEO
Kristin is a lifelong Austinite and proud Longhorn who set a goal of becoming a foster parent as a teen after befriending a group of children who lived in a foster home in her South Austin neighborhood. In 2015, she and her husband and their two young biological daughters realized that goal by becoming a licensed foster family that has since welcomed a half-dozen children in various crisis situations. They had the great joy of adopting their now-7-year-old son in 2017, followed by the adoption of their now-8-year-old daughter in 2020, both out of the foster care system. Kristin, a firm believer that hope is always stronger than fear, has been humbled and honored to help grow Carrying Hope from a small neighborhood project to a full-fledged 501c3 nonprofit that has made a difference for thousands of Texas children.
Kristin is a lifelong Austinite and proud Longhorn who set a goal of becoming a foster parent as a teen after befriending a group of children who lived in a foster home in her South Austin neighborhood. In 2015, she and her husband and their two young biological daughters realized that goal by becoming a licensed foster family that has since welcomed a half-dozen children in various crisis situations. They had the great joy of adopting their now-7-year-old son in 2017, followed by the adoption of their now-8-year-old daughter in 2020, both out of the foster care system.
Mauri Elbel, co-founder/vice president
Mauri is a native Texan, University of Texas at Austin grad, and has called Austin home since 2008 after working as a reporter on the tiny Caribbean island of St. John and earning a master’s of journalism from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Mauri has been an advocate for foster children for more than a decade, with volunteer experiences ranging from teaching weekly creative writing classes and reading bedtime stories to foster children living in a residential treatment center to providing respite for children in the system and as a court-appointed CASA advocating for the best interests of abused and neglected children. As a mom of three who grew increasingly frustrated with the way children were coming into foster care with absolutely nothing. Mauri co-founded Carrying Hope to help bring positive change and much-needed hope and comfort to the kids who need it most.
Mauri is a native Texan, University of Texas at Austin grad, and has called Austin home since 2008 after working as a reporter on the tiny Caribbean island of St. John and earning a master’s of journalism from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Mauri has been an advocate for foster children for more than a decade, with volunteer experiences ranging from teaching weekly creative writing classes and reading bedtime stories to foster children living in a residential treatment center to providing respite for children in the system and as a court-appointed…
