This holiday season we had the wonderful opportunity to give back to our community by adopting 26 families for a giveaway that was up to $20,000. Things were looking quite different for most this season and we felt compelled to reach out and provide a feeling of love and support to those in need.

This year we watched small businesses in our community close, loved ones struggle financially and mentally while also feeling generally overwhelmed with the challenges that were ongoing this year. Through all of the obstacles this year Lotus and Luna was fortunate with growth and felt compelled to pay it forward.

We reached out to our community and customers to share personal stories or to nominate someone who may be in need of support during the holidays and received an overwhelming response. So much so that we expanded our giveaway from 10 to 26 winners. We were touched by people’s willingness to be open and honest while also admiring their strength. The nominations came from caring loved ones, coworkers and anonymous donors who witnessed those struggling but who never asked for help.

With this outreach we also had the opportunity to connect with our customers in a deeper way and learn more about their stories. Shelley was nominated by her sister as she is recovering from a stroke while also doing her best to provide for her son who is also disabled. She recently moved from Miami to Tallahassee, FL to be closer to her immediate family members who can help with their support. In order to regain more independence, work needed to be done on their home in order to accommodate her and her family. This gift was used to help update it to make it more adaptable and safe for their disabilities.

Justyna shared that her husband has Stage 4 cancer and after experiencing a variety of difficulties this year she wrote, “At this point you can decide if you want to be scared and let that fear ruin what you have left, or… do what we did. Embrace the hard times, appreciate every single hour we have together, looking for God’s goodness in everything and be thankful for all the prayers and help we got from our families, friends and communities”

Through these shared stories and experiences we learned and felt more gratitude for what we do have. As we look forward to a new year we have our intentions set on feeling inspired by acts of kindness, no matter how big or small and letting these acts pave the way for new opportunities. From the Lotus and Luna team, our hopes are high and we wish you the best for the New Year.