Not long after Hurricane Helene made landfall in North Carolina, Keli Lynch-Wright and her team were on the ground in Asheville.
Hatching Hope, the nonprofit organization that Lynch-Wright co-founded with her son, quickly responded by driving in with essential supplies.
“We’ve been working to provide much needed relief, humanitarian aid, and love for our peers in the multifamily industry and most importantly for their residents that have suffered so greatly,” Lynch-Wright said.
Her disaster relief organization is one of the nonprofits recognized in Apartments.com’s ThanksGifting campaign this year.
And now, with a $10,000 donation from Apartments.com, Hatching Hope is looking to expand its relief efforts to serve even more families devastated by disasters.
Take a look at the organization’s work:
Click CC to turn on closed captioning.
Delivering essential hurricane relief
Hatching Hope serves residents displaced by hurricanes, floods, fires, and other disasters, providing them with the essentials for short- and long-term recovery.
Caption: Hatching Hope provides victims with toiletries and other essential supplies. Image courtesy of Hatching Hope.
Since back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the Southeast, Lynch-Wright and volunteers have been providing on-the-ground support to residents and properties left devastated in the wake of the hurricanes.
Some properties remained underwater for weeks, she said.
“With the water finally receding, you have people without power, people without water trying to salvage what they can in vacant apartments,” Lynch-Wright said.
Hatching Hope provides disaster cleanup supplies, gloves, tarps, and “anything that you could think of” that would help residents salvage their belongings.
The organization also provides masks to protect against illness and mold, along with personal hygiene supplies, diapers, pet supplies, and children’s toys.
“We bring teddy bears with us to offer comfort,” Lynch-Wright said.
Caption: Teddy bears are one of the many items Hatching Hope brings to support disaster victims. The bears offer much-needed comfort to children, founder Keli-Lynch said. Image courtesy of Hatching Hope.
From tragedy to hope
After two decades working with apartment communities as a multifamily vendor, Lynch-Wright was no stranger to the devastation of fires.
“I would see our clients suffer through apartment fires,” she said.
But one day in 2010, tragedy hit closer to home.
“I never thought it would be me,” she said. “We lost our family home to a fire.”
In response, the multifamily industry rallied to support Lynch-Wright and her family.
Several years later, Lynch-Wright and her 9-year-old son, Ashton, visited a property that had suffered a fire. Eighty residents and their pets were sheltering in a clubhouse.
Inspired to help, Ashton volunteered to donate his air mattress, and the seeds of Hatching Hope were sown. Lynch-Wright and her son founded the organization in 2016. Since then, they have served 1.2 million residents so far.
Caption: Keli Lynch-Wright and her son, Ashton, founded Hatching Hope together, several years after losing their own home to a fire. Image courtesy of Hatching Hope.
$10,000 towards a new trailer
One of the challenges Hatching Hope faces is how to transport enough supplies to families in need. With the $10,000 donation from Apartments.com, the organization will purchase a 30-foot enclosed trailer to deliver essential items more quickly and effectively.
“This is going to enable us to transfer so much more relief in a much more efficient way,” Lynch-Wright. “We can be in two or three different places at one time.”
Caption: Volunteers hold boxes in front of a Hatching Hope van. The purchase of an enclosed trailer from Apartments.com’s donation will help the organization deliver supplies more efficiently. Image courtesy of Hatching Hope.
Making a difference for multifamily
Not only does Hatching Hope serve the apartment communities and residents hit by disasters, but the organization also relies on volunteers across the industry, including property management companies and regional apartment association.
“I think it's an incredible testament to our industry, to what we do to support each other,” Lynch-Wright said.
ThanksGifting: a month of giving back
Celebrated every November, ThanksGifting is an annual campaign by Apartments.com to honor nonprofit organizations working with the multifamily industry. Our donations support these organizations’ efforts across the U.S. and Canada.
Learn more about Hatching Hope and how your organization can support its mission. You can also browse the Hatching Hope shopping wish list.
Get to know the other recipients of this year’s campaign:
- Move for Hunger fights hunger and waste by coordinating with apartment communities and movers to redirect food to local food banks. Meet Move for Hunger.
- United Way Centraide Canada provides a helpline to help residents and others access essential resources. Meet United Way Centraide Canada.
- Entryway combats homelessness by offering at-risk individuals a path to housing and economic stability through a career in the multifamily industry. Meet Entryway.
You decide: Which charity should receive $10,000 from Apartments.com?
Do you know of a charity that does important work? Let us know! The nonprofit organization you choose could receive a $10,000 donation in your name, courtesy of Apartments.com.
Enter our giveaway, which closes November 30, for your chance to nominate a nonprofit organization that matters to you.
What is Apartmentology?
Your source for multifamily insights, Apartmentology brings you the latest data and analysis from industry experts.
