Find Your Anchor

Find Your Anchor (FYA) is a grassroots nonprofit aimed at suicide prevention, awareness, and education. With creativity and a personal touch, FYA aims to support those who may be struggling and de-stigmatize conversations surrounding suicide and mental health.

At the heart of Find Your Anchor’s mission is a small blue box. Once referred to as a “mental health first aid kit,” each box is packed with good vibes and materials designed to inspire, soothe, and offer support. This includes a “52+ Reasons to Live” deck of cards, an infographic on depression, a list of resources, posters, stickers, a bracelet, and a letter. The boxes are intended to be organic in the sense that each person can add their own anchors and inspiration to the box before passing it along. Our boxes are in every state, in 36 countries, and have been requested by thousands of people.

We are experiencing an epidemic of hopelessness. In 2022, we lost 45,979 people to suicide. There were a staggering 1.2 million attempts. Currently, there is a gap in how our society is addressing this. We know there’s a problem - it’s easy to regurgitate statistics like I did above. We know the who, what, when, where…but there’s no solution. What do we do with this information?

We fight the hopelessness. And we do that by reminding individuals that they are not alone. That there are strangers all over the world who care.

Find Your Anchor (FYA) aims to inspire hope and support people who may be struggling in an engaging and creative way to de-stigmatize conversations surrounding suicide and mental health. We bring people together all with the help of our little blue boxes.

I can give you a whole bunch of data, but these testimonials say it all for me:

- “I just wanted to let you know that you saved a life today.” (Student)

- “Find Your Anchor really stands out in its extremely personal connections it creates and its strong network of individuals who know that depression doesn’t have to be fought alone.” (Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation)

- “I just wanted to let you know that I received one of your boxes from a dear friend of mine a few weeks ago. I thought about killing myself that day and when I got the box, I completely second guessed it. I’m now seeking help and getting the help I need. Thank you so much.” (Student)

- “Yesterday, I opened my mailbox and found a package in there from you. From the deep, depths of my heart, I thank you. You've saved a life.” (Student)

- “I lost my oldest son to mental illness that resulted in suicide. Thank you for this tangible way to spread the message about suicide and preventing others from going through what our family has.” (Mother)

- "As I discovered this box today, I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort in knowing that someone cares, even if it may be a stranger that cares. Finding this box has touched my heart. If I could thank you an infinite amount of times I would." (Student)

- "This is a great addition to my therapy groups. I work primarily with female survivors of military sexual trauma and see huge benefits in passing the box among the group." (Social Worker)

NOTE: Our boxes are free for those struggling. Only 1 in 8 people will donate for their box. We are tasked with filling that gap.

We are growing at an unprecedented rate.

2018 - 251 FYA boxes in the world
2019 - 1,610 FYA boxes in the world
2020 - 13,519 FYA boxes in the world
2021 - 29,120 FYA boxes in the world
2022 - 51,480 FYA boxes in the world
July 2023 - 61,760 FYA boxes in the world

- We cannot afford to fulfill all of the unpaid box requests with lack of donations
- We need to hire full-time staff
- Can’t continue to do this without funding

Over the past few years we've experienced over 24,500% growth in box requests.

We need financial and human help.

Financially, we typically spend over $3,600 each month in (domestic) shipping alone.
Not to mention the cost of materials.

But we need people to fill these orders, too. The ability to hire a staff will not only answer the immediate need of fulfilling box orders and securing additional funding, but it will also give us time to effectively build new partnerships and harness the vast, though dispersed, volunteer base we have.

Lastly, we plan to strategically grow. Dreaming big, we want a box on every college campus, in every library, on the desk of every congressperson, and in the hands of every veteran who suffers from suicidal thoughts. To help facilitate this, we have begun creating boxes aimed at specific demographics (i.e. boxes with veteran specific resources).

More money = more boxes = more people reached.

What we need:
- Budget to cover unpaid box requests
- A full-time team
- Time to explore unchartered ideas
- Secure additional funding
- To build a box inventory (not making as requested)
- Storage/office space
- Help making boxes / utilize volunteers

Local
North Orange County
Central Orange County
West Orange County
South Orange County
Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego Counties

Also:
National
International

One of my fundamental core beliefs, in the height of my darkness, was that no one would care. I wanted to create something literally showing that strangers care.

I really wanted something that spoke to the person holding the box. This movement, each box, in a lot of ways is a physical representation of me being fortunate enough to be in a better spot. It’s the physical representation of being “anchored” and wanting to pay that forward.

For those contemplating suicide, there is an overwhelming sense of loneliness, abandonment, despair, and hopelessness. With that in mind, I set out to create a box that made someone think “someone cared enough to make this for me.” I wanted to provide, or spark, within them a reason to fight. I wanted to give them a box full of ideas, support, and inspiration. A box full of anchors.

Our Values:

BE GENUINE
We get it. We’ve been there. We wouldn’t preach anything we don’t believe ourselves. This isn’t your typical, sterile hospital brochure.
We really do care. Like, a lot.

INSPIRING HOPE
We want to spark that fight. Those 52+ Reasons to Live, when you can’t even think of one. We want to provide endless inspiration. We want to remind you that it gets better. We want to remind you that you will laugh again. We are here to help keep you going. For you to stay here.

COMMUNITY
We are a diverse community, made stronger by our common goal to stop suicide. We are incredibly aware that we cannot do this alone. We can go so much further when we join forces for something powerful.
We are the strangers who care.
We’re here to help you get through this.
You don’t have to do this alone.

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS
We truly believe that no act of kindness is too small. The attention to details, personal touches, and handwritten notes convey an extra sense of caring. Our boxes are made by hand - they come from communities and strangers who care.

COLLABORATE
We always encourage effective partnerships with organizations, school districts, universities, businesses, and the broader community.
Suicide doesn’t recognize class, county or culture. Because of this, we know that working with people of different backgrounds, communities, and thinking styles helps us more effectively reach those struggling.

STAY CREATIVE
There are too many white pieces of paper filled with statistics and corporate jargon, claiming to be making an impact. We need to be engaging. We need people to get involved - to add to these boxes and then pass them on, when they are ready. We love being connected to something greater than ourselves and we love that we’ve created something tangible to hold on to. We are fueled by the desire to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.