SERVE at Home is a way for your family to spread kindness and help our community on your own, anytime, anywhere! Please RSVP on our calendar so we can let our non-profit partner know how many items to expect.

For this activity, you will work with your family at home to assemble a Hope Pack for Carrying Hope. A Hope Pack is a backpack or diaper bag filled with comfort items and essentials intended to help ease the transition for children who are entering a new foster home.

You will need to provide the supplies for this activity. You can complete this activity on your own anytime during the month.

Activity Directions

Everything must be new and in package or with tags.
Please choose the age of the child you want to give your pack to and include the the following items in your Hope Pack:

Baby:

Diapers, any size 0-5 (small pack)

• Wipes (small pack)
• Formula (box of single-serve packets or small can)
• Small bottle set (includes one or two bottles)
• Pacifiers
• Pull-ups, boys or girls size 3T-4T (small pack)
• Soft blankets (boy, girl or gender neutral)
• Receiving blankets (small pack)

Clothes:

• Onesies and jammies, boy or girl ages 0-18 months
• Jammies, boy or girl, any age 2- to 16-year-old
• Outfits, boy or girl, any age 2- to 16-year-old
• Boys and girls underwear packs, any age between 3-year-old and 16-year-old
• Socks, any age between 3-year-old and 16-year-old

Plush Animals/Toys:

• Soft stuffed animals (8″ – 12″)
• Small toddler girl toys (Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger, Sofia the First, Disney princess, etc.)
• Small toddler boy toys (Sesame Street, Daniel Tiger, Thomas, trucks, Disney Planes/Cars, etc.)
• Small boys toys (Legos, small Disney Car/Planes, trucks, Play-Doh, superheroes, etc.)
• Small girls toys (baby doll/accessories, Play-Doh, Disney princess, Shopkins, Littlest Pet Shop, LEGO Friends, etc.)
• Tween/teen girl toys and activities (necklace/bracelet making kit, craft kit, games, etc.)
• Tween/teen boy toys and activities (LEGOs, Minecraft figures, Star Wars, etc.)

Books:

• Books for any age 1-16 (board books, nighttime books, early readers, tween/teen options, etc.)

Other:

• Travel-size toiletries for teen boys or girls (body wash, shampoo, deodorant, feminine product, lotion, body spray, etc.)
• Flashlights
• Nightlights
• Amazon, Target and Walmart gift cards

You can purchase supplies for and make as many Hope Packs as your family is able to donate. We recommend making 1 Hope Pack, but any amount you can put together is appreciated.

Delivery Options & Instructions:

You can mail or drop off Hope Packs to:

Carrying Hope Office
8711 Burnet Rd., Suite E-52
Austin, TX 78757

Current Office Hours:
Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Activity Requirements

• This activity is great for all ages!
• Our program is designed to be a family experience. We want parents and caregivers to work alongside their child(ren) for all our Family Volunteering activities.

SERVE at Home Program Information

Our SERVE at Home activities are a way for your family to spread kindness and help our community on your own, anytime, anywhere! Work with your family to complete this activity anytime during the month. Be sure to take pictures of your family working together on this project so we can certify your submission when you are done. We ask that SERVE at Home activities be completed within a month of the calendar listing or within 7 days of the listing, whichever time frame is longer.

After you RSVP for this event, we will send you an email with a form for you to submit your photos and let us know you've completed the activity!

More About Our Partner

Carrying Hope was founded in Austin by foster parents and advocates who were heartbroken watching children arrive on their doorsteps with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They came up with the idea for Hope Packs - backpacks filled with every thing a child would need during their first 24-48 hours in a new home. Since 2016, they have distributed more than 15,000 Hope Packs to CPS and foster care agencies across the state.