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On March 23 and 29, staff from The Carlson Law Firm volunteered to help pack food bags and restock shelves at the Food Center in Killeen, Texas. In total, the firm helped pack over 200 bags filled with food that will be used to feed families in Killeen. 

Two separate groups volunteered on the different days to assist the Food Bank with organizing and distribution prepping. Staff wore masks and followed social distancing best practices during the volunteer days.

“There is a consistent need for providing nourishment to vulnerable communities,” Managing Partner Craig Carlson said. “This is especially true right now because so many have been affected by the pandemic, and now, the aftermath of the power outages. We are thankful for the work that the Food Care Center is doing and that they’ve allowed us to help them serve our community. We are happy that we are able to help out the Food Care Center and their mission to take care and feed families in the Killeen community.”

The Killeen Food Care Center has roughly about 5,000 clients each month. The bags that were filled are able to feed families the size of four members. Each bag provides about 35-40 pounds of food, which equals 30 meals or 10 days of food.  

The bags contain a variety of canned goods to feed families of up to four members. In addition, the Food Care Center provides other necessities including:

• Eggs and dairy products
• Fresh bread and pastries
• Baby formula
• Meats, fresh and frozen
• Water and juices

The Food Care Center is a non-profit, faith-based is located at 210 N. 16^th Street, serving the Killeen community for over 30 years. No qualifications are required to receive food and families in need can visit the center once a week. In addition to offering food, the Food Care Center has clothing and household goods available at a very low cost. 

For more information, visit www.foodcare.org.

LUBBOCK, Texas– Carlson Cares, a program by The Carlson Law Firm will be hosting its first drive-thru Santa Carlson’s Toys-To-Go. The Carlson Law Firm staff will be handing wrapped presents out from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22  at our Lubbock office located on 2424 50th Street.

Families can receive wrapped gifts for children ages 0 to 12 years old. To receive the gift, children must be present in the vehicle. In addition, Amy O from The Beat will be broadcasting live. We will have drive-thru pictures with Santa and more! 

“This will be our second event to give back to our community in the last two months,” Carlson Law Firm Associate Valeri Malone said. “Many families are trying to figure out how they’ll put presents under the tree this year. We just want to help provide a boost of cheer this holiday season for people in our Lubbock community.”

The drive-thru event will continue to practice COVID-19 safety measures, employees will be masked and following guidelines for social distancing. In addition, we ask that all attendees wear a mask to keep themselves and others safe.

“We figured that the best way to have an event like this while maintaining safety COVID-19 measures would be through a drive-thru,” Malone said. “This year has been like no other, and we are lucky to have an opportunity to help families in our Lubbock community that might be facing difficult times. Every child deserves to open a gift this holiday season.”

If you plan to come to Carlson Cares drive-thru Santa Carlson’s Toys-To-Go event, please enter via the 50th street entrance.

The Carlson Law Firm is able to put this event on with the help of local businesses, such as Bryce Olson Physical Therapy, West Sage Realtors & Consultants, Texas Tech Federal Credit Union, and others, we are able to do just that this upcoming holiday season.

Carlson Cares operates out of The Carlson Law Firm’s 13 offices in Texas and one in California. Each month, a different office gives back to their community through volunteer work and hosting family-friendly Parties with a Purpose. Our mission is to improve the lives of every Texan.

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Media Contact:
Kazia Conway
kconway@carlsonattorneys.com

In what has quickly become a favorite holiday tradition of Carlson Law Firm employees, our annual Carlson Cares Christmas Miracles for 2020 have been delivered. 

This year, the firm delivered three miracles to families in Bryan, Jarrell and Austin, Texas who have struggled extensively under the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to dealing with the fallout of the pandemic, many of these families have dealt with significant medical conditions that made it difficult for them to care for their families. 

The Carlson Law Firm set out on a mission to make Christmas bright for these three families. 

The Garcia Family — Bryan, Texas

Nominated by a cousin, the Garcias are a family of five who have been struggling emotionally and financially for a little more than four years, after the family’s patriarch Filiberto was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society,  MS is a potentially disabling condition that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the rest of the body. For Filiberto, the condition has left him unable to communicate and resigned to a hospital bed. 

Filiberto’s disability has left him unable to provide for the family. The family has since moved in with his parents, where his wife Aracely provides around-the-clock care for Filiberto, leaving her unable to work. To help make ends meet, Aracely sells food to provide for her children’s and husband’s needs. 

Unfortunately for the family, Filiberto’s hospital bed could no longer be adjusted so that he could be properly fed. Aracely was concerned that Filiberto would choke on his food because of the difficulty getting him to properly sit up to feed him. 

While the family was grateful to have a roof over their heads, the couple’s young children didn’t have enough beds to sleep comfortably. In fact, for privacy and some semblance of comfort, the couple’s 10-year-old child slept in a spacious closet in the family’s home. 

To help this family get through the holiday season and beyond, The Carlson Law Firm purchased a new hospital bed for Filiberto that allows Aracely to reposition him. Additionally, each child now has a bed of their own to sleep in. The firm also ordered a sleeper sofa for Aracely—who slept on a sofa in the room she shares with her husband to care for him through the night. 

Further, the children were also gifted toys and warm clothes for Christmas. 

The Haskin Family — Jarrell, Texas

The Haskin family first came to the attention of The Carlson Law Firm when 18-year-old Hunter Haskin nominated his father. Hunter described his father as a hard-working man, a veteran and, without ever saying it, an amazing father. Seeing the financial struggle that his parents have endured in 2020 has left Hunter with a drive to join the U.S. Marines to ensure his parents never struggle again.

A week later, Cyndi Haskin, Hunter’s mother, sent in a Christmas Miracle nomination form for Walter. Neither Hunter nor his mother knew that the other nominated Walter.

Walter Haskin is a retired veteran turned truck driver who was diagnosed with colon cancer in January of this year after a trip to the ER. Walter has been out of work since January of 2020. As the sole provider for the family, Walter’s diagnosis has left the family reliant on GoFund Me donations and contributions from the couple’s older children. Walter has undergone one round of chemotherapy, a surgery which led to an infection and another surgery, which led to another infection. 

Despite having an education, Cyndi made the decision years ago to stay home with the couple’s children and one grandchild they’re raising. With Walter’s health struggles, she sat the children down in October to tell them they might not have a Christmas this year. 

To assist the family, The Carlson Law Firm provided help with their bills, presents for each child under the tree and a gift card to purchase a holiday meal. 

To learn more about the Haskin family or make a donation, visit their GoFund Me: https://gf.me/u/yvyfiu 

The Hernandez Family — Austin, Texas

Jose and Wendy Hernandez were nominated by an aunt. The young couple has overcome several obstacles within the past year. First, Jose nearly lost his life from a MRSA infection. He spent three months in the hospital—in a coma for one of those months. Jose works as a gardener to provide for his family. Still, the lingering effects of his MRSA infection make it difficult for him to work.

In addition to Jose’s condition, both of the couple’s daughters live with medical conditions. Their youngest child has had multiple heart and head surgeries and has to eat through a tube. Because of her condition, Wendy cannot work and stays home taking care of the girls and ensuring they make it to their medical appointments. Because of COVID, many of the girls’ appointments have to be done through Zoom. 

To make their holiday bright, The Carlson Law Firm purchased gifts for the children, bought Wendy a laptop to make the Zoom appointments for their daughters easier and paid their rent for the next three months. 

Carlson Cares 

For many families, the holiday season doesn’t bring much cheer. This time of year can be costly and lead to significant stress for those on a tight budget. For the families we helped this year, The Carlson Law Firm helped by taking away the uncertainty of knowing what to prioritize. Our goal each year is to make Christmas a little less stressful and a little more magical. With Carlson Cares, the spirit of the holiday season is not lost. 

The Carlson Law Firm’s Round Rock location hosted our first annual drive-thru Trunk-or-Treat to give families an alternate means of trick-or-treating during the pandemic.

Nominate a deserving friend or family member for a Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle

For the third year in a row, The Carlson Law Firm is opening our nomination form so you can help make a deserving person or family’s Christmas season a little brighter! Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle nominations open Oct. 1 at 9 a.m. and will close Oct. 23 at 5 p.m.

For the last two years, our firm has delivered Christmas Miracles to Texas families in need of a little holiday season cheer.

There is no ask that is too small or too unusual for us to fulfill. Our past miracles have included extensive vehicle repairs to help the family travel to doctors’ appointments for their children with high medical needs, fulfilling children’s Christmas entire wish lists and repairing a gas leak to provide heat during the cold Texas Panhandle winter.

If you know a deserving family, nominate them for a Carlson Christmas Miracle!

To nominate a family or individual, fill out the submission form when it opens on Oct. 1. The nomination period will end on Oct. 23. Tell us what you think they need and why the person or family you are nominating is deserving of a Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle. If your nomination is selected, you will be contacted between Nov. 2-5, 2020. Because of time constraints, if you do not respond within 24 hours, we will move on to the next nomination. Once selected and confirmed by phone, our Carlson Christmas Elves will immediately get to work ensuring your miracle happens. Miracle deliveries will happen some time between November 16-20.

“This has been a particularly challenging year for many families for both their mental health and financial stability,” Managing Partner Craig Carlson said. “We know that people are hurting and wondering how they’re going to find a holiday or even simply make Christmas happen for their families. The hardships brought on by COVID-19 is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in most of our lifetimes. Because we recognize the need will be so high this year, we’re opening up the nomination process earlier so that we can extend the submission period. This year’s selection process will probably be a tough one, but our goal is to make sure the families who need our help most get it.”

Carlson Cares operates out of The Carlson Law Firm’s 13 offices across Texas. Each month, a different office gives back to their community through volunteer work and hosting family-friendly Parties with a Purpose. Our mission is to improve the lives of every Texan.

Our Carlson Cares Christmas Miracle puts the bow on a year of giving back. Visit our website to watch past miracles: https://carlsoncares.org/miracle

For more information:
Kazia Conway
254-526-5688

Carlson Cares hosted our Snack-2-School event in celebration to the start of the 2020-2021 school year. We filled backpacks with school supplies and snacks to provide students in Austin, Texas on Friday, Aug. 28 at our South Austin office located on 135 W. Slaughter Lane. 

“This year’s Snack-2-School event is a great opportunity for us to give back to our community while maintaining social distancing best practices,” Carlson Law Firm partner Nathan Kennedy said. “We are proud that even amidst all this, we have an opportunity to help our community.  Austin families are facing difficult times right now. If this can help ease some of the financial burden that comes when school supplies shopping, we’re happy to help.”

Backpacks included school supplies such as composition books, spiral notebooks, Crayola markers and colored pencils, and more to help students excel this school year.

“It is still unclear as to how this school year will turn out, but we want to make sure that parents and students have the bare necessities to succeed in the classroom,” Kennedy said.