It started with six large boxes delivered to Justin and Channing Dyson’s home. The couple had sold their baby boutique, Kids N’ Such, but under the new owners it had gone out of business. And, through a strange turn of events, inventory from the shop began arriving on their doorstep.
The following week three 18-wheelers arrived. And the boxes kept coming. “I had 250 pallets sitting in my driveway, and we were just every day trying to unload it and not let the product get ruined so that eventually we could do something with it,” Channing recalls.
In all, 60,000 baby items arrived—from crib and bassinet sheets to swaddle blankets, burp cloths, diaper caddies, baby wraps and more. Channing and Justin rented two large storage units, and boxes filled their home as they tried to avoid renting a third. And, in spite of their best efforts, they couldn’t return any of it.
Once they ensured the inventory was legally theirs, many people assumed they’d try to sell the items for profit or at least to offset the cost of the storage units. But Channing and Justin had another idea.
“The whole reason we started the baby brand was to help moms. … I was pregnant with our second child, and we wanted to be able to have affordable products for moms that were fashionable and functionable,” Channing recalls. “We thought about it for a long time, and we’re like, ‘What is the most good that we could do with it instead of selling it to someone who’s just going to try to profit off of it?’ … We were just searching for a company that would do the most good for the most amount of people where we live, in the DFW area.”
“There was so much of it, it was hard to move; so, it had to be local,” Justin shares. And the challenge was not only finding an organization that would benefit from baby products but one that could accept so many of them at once.
As they researched, one name kept coming up: Hope Supply Co. (HSC). So, Channing contacted the organization and spoke with inventory manager Lynnette Snow. “After my first phone call with Lynnette, I was like, ‘I don’t need to call anyone else,’” she recalls. “It was the absolute perfect fit.’” Not only did HSC align with Channing and Justin’s original vision of helping moms, but through its distribution network, the organization was able to quickly get a boatload of baby products into the hands of families in need.
That same day Lynnette, along with HSC warehouse manager Petro Aguilar, traveled the hour to Channing and Justin’s home. “I went out there with them and showed them what we had just here at the house,” Channing recalls. “They were so excited—just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this stuff will do so much good.’”
“Channing and Justin’s generosity has been a tremendous blessing for Hope Supply Co. and the families we serve across North Texas,” Lynnette shares. “This incredible donation of high-quality baby accessories has helped us better serve our network and the families they support. These items allow our partner agencies to provide not just the basics, but thoughtful, comforting accessories that help parents feel more prepared and supported. A soft swaddle blanket or a well-organized diaper caddy can make a world of difference for a new parent navigating tough circumstances.”
In addition, Lynnette explains, “Many of our partners serve families in shelters or transitional housing. Having access to clean, cozy bedding and baby gear helps create a more nurturing environment for infants and toddlers during a time of upheaval. For families living paycheck to paycheck, receiving these items through our network means they can redirect funds toward rent, food or transportation, helping them stay afloat while still meeting their child’s needs.”
It was a huge donation with an enormous impact throughout HSC’s distribution network, helping thousands of babies and their families in the Dallas area. And, as Channing posted about the end of their unexpected inventory saga on social media, she got a glimpse of how supplies like the ones she and Justin had donated could make a difference:
A friend from high school actually reached out to me on Facebook, and she said she had been able to get items from Hope Supply. She was just like, ‘Channing, I’m in tears watching this video. They actually helped me when I needed it the most.’ … I think we made the right decision with the right company to do the most good with all of these items.
“For us, it was the easiest way to do the most good,” Justin sums up. “That ironically feels better than trying to capitalize on any of it.”
Channing and Justin founded their current company, Dax Eyewear, with the same commitment to serve through providing high quality and affordability. Click here to explore their stylish and functional sunglasses designed for real life.