No one knows how to make lemonade out of lemons quite like Kristin Ballard. As a friend of Hands of Hope through our partnership with the Indianapolis Colts, Kristin is no stranger to organizing and implementing a vision for her community. When the reality of Covid-19 began to set in, Kristin did what she has always done — she found a way to leverage a problem to provide for people.
Kristin looked around and realized that many of her neighbors were sorting and collecting clothes to donate at the end of the shelter-in-place order. That’s when she got a great idea: a free garage sale for foster families in her community! Kristin contacted Hands of Hope and began to promote the idea with family and friends, which led to our very first garage sale event for foster families.
In a season filled with so much uncertainty, Kristin tapped into an unexpected blessing. After witnessing what took place at the garage sale event, she said, “It’s fun to see what can happen when a community comes together to fill a need.”
But Kristin wasn’t the only one who was affected by the impact of her community. Foster families from across Indianapolis showed up to sort through the donations, receiving much-needed clothing and supplies for the little ones in their homes. One foster mom commented, “Thank you so much for the free garage sale! God truly blessed us through it. Your help and blessings have made our year!”
Because of a simple idea, foster families across Central Indiana have one more reminder that they’re not alone. That’s the power of community.
Written By: Maggie Johnson at Honeycomb Creative Co.