The Month of Giving

November is our favorite month of the year because it is all about giving! This past year has looked different than usual. Our team has continued our efforts with Kiva. This nonprofit organization allows people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in 77 countries. Its mission is "to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive." Since our partnership that began 6+ years ago, we have lent 3,697 loans which is equivalent to $93,025. A number we are incredibly proud of and hope to continue to grow!

However our team knew we couldn’t just stop there. The Ukrainian/Russian war took a massive turn in February 2022. That is when the Gap Stay Initiative took place. Our business was limited in the amount of free nights we could offer, however we knew we wanted to help. With Los Angeles’s restrictions that vacation rental homes can only host guests for 30 days or longer, there were times gaps would pop up in our calendar from the last check-out to the next check-in. Instead of keeping these homes vacant, it was an opportunity to offer these accommodations for free. We had the opportunity to house 20+ refugees and still counting.

But we didn’t stop there. Welcome HUGS (Help Us Get Settled). With the amount of demand we received from refugees, we noticed that there was a great need for basic essentials. It sparked a fire in us to start this nonprofit that focuses on alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors, and helping those affected survive, recover and rebuild their lives. Our forms have been submitted with the state and now we patiently wait for an approval. In the meantime, our team has tirelessly worked on building the HUGS brand and hope we will be able to share at the beginning of 2023.

We hope the above is an encouragement to go out and do! It is what we continue to strive to do everyday.