We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Samarya Elliott. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Samarya below.

Samarya, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The Karys Foundation Inc., began years before the idea of starting a 501(C)(3) came to pass. Growing up, there were plenty of times I asked my parents for cash to give to someone who was in need while riding around in the car. I felt complete satisfaction and my heart soften every time I was able to give.
Years later, in 2020 I returned home from college during the COVID-19 pandemic and the question dawned on me “who is feeding the homeless now that everything is shut down?” From there, my Mom and I went to the store, purchased ingredients to prepare 50 sandwiches and we passed them out to the unhoused community in Daytona Beach, FL. As I was serving, the same spark I would get as a child came back to me and I knew this was my God given purpose. The Lord spoke through my Mother and told me to start an organization, so I can provide opportunities for others to volunteer and contribute to the mission. From there, the preparation to begin everything started and in 2021 the Karys Foundation Inc., became a 501(c)(3) dedicated to addressing homelessness in Daytona Beach and surrounding areas throughout Central Florida.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Of course! I am the Founder of the Karys Foundation Inc., I love to worship God, serve the community, and to be creative through media, communications and the arts. Growing up, I did everything I could to maximize my volunteer hours. I’ve spent time dancing for community events, participating in local campaigns, and providing for the community. Those times of volunteerism stuck with me, which is how The Karys Foundation Inc., started. The name Karys (Care-is) is special to me as it is my middle name.

In my organization we address homelessness by providing meals and beverages to the community in Daytona Beach, FL and surrounding areas throughout Central Florida. We have hosted blanket drives to help prepare the community for the Winter season and provide toiletries items needed on a daily basis. As a faith-based organization, we are always spreading the blessings and encouragement we receive in our own personal lives when we outreach. We love to meet people where they are and show them we care for each of them despite their current situations. I am proud of the trust, love, and relationships we have built within the community. It’s important we keep God at the head of the organization as he directs our every step.

It takes a village to provide for this beautiful community and we love to partner with other organizations who have similar missions. Whenever someone volunteers with us, donates or partners I want everyone to feel joy and purpose in the work they are doing. A never-ending goal I have for the Karys Foundation Inc., is to serve the community to the best of our ability.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A big lesson I had to unlearn was feeling that I needed to be at certain place at a certain time in my life. Being raised through the start and peak of social media, it is very easy to fall into the trap of comparison. Seeing someone online who is in the same age range as me achieving accomplishments I have yet to fulfill or who has an organization with a similar mission becoming a high talking point persuaded me question myself and my purpose. I have compared myself, my accomplishments, my career, and the growth of my organization. There has been times I tricked my brain into thinking I should be farther along than where I am without realizing, I am exactly where I need to be! Unlearning this wasn’t easy but it was worth it. The Lord led to me different teachings on comparison where I became convicted and started to do the work. Mediating on the saying “Comparison is the thief of joy” and “2 Corinthians 10:12” helped me to break this habit. Today I feel so much peace and growth on my journey. This process revealed lots of key aspects such as lacking self grace. I would always try to follow up from one accomplishment instead of being proud of where I am and knowing the next achievement, big or small will come when it’s meant to. In addition, unlearning the habit of comparison has also made me put the work in to earn merits without altering my life. A piece of wisdom that will always stick with me is remembering the reason we haven’t stepped into to a certain point in our life isn’t because it’s not meant for us. But if we receive it prematurely we may not handle it with care and make it last a lifetime. I’ve now notice when blessings come that I waited longer for, it turns out being more than I could ever imagine or expect.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

An effective strategy for growing has been networking. After serving in Daytona Beach, I wanted us to branch out and serve additional locations to continue fulfilling our mission. Serving in Orlando, FL was the first place that came to mind. I did a bit of research on my own but ultimately it came down to finding a source who knew the area and the community well. I sent a cold email to the City Manager over homelessness and social services in Orlando. From there, I received a lot of information on how and where we could we be a service to the community. Strategies of networking made it possible for us to connect to our sister organizations and collaborate.
We set up a table at different community events throughout the year where we spread the word of our mission and continued goals. This strategy has helped to bring in amazing volunteers and grassroots donors.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karysfoundationinc?igsh=cW96ZXpyN21iYmwy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Civg1F8V5/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@karysfoundationinc?_t=ZT-90dDVFrc1yh&_r=1

Image Credits

Photographer
Charlene
@crtvchar