“Giving Beyond the Box” Launches Hope Strikes Back Box

New social enterprise aims to carry on RI’s history of doing good, here and beyond

October saw the virtual launch of Hope Strikes Back, the most recent project of Giving Beyond the Box, a new social enterprise that aims to connect consumers with a variety of products that do good, here in Rhode Island and beyond.

The Hope Strikes Back box features products exclusively from Rhode Island-based businesses of color. This new project aims to connect consumers with outstanding local businesses. These include Green Tenderfoot, Soulita Soap, Mesa Fresca, Tomaquag Museum, the Black Leaf Tea & Culture Company, GoTeff, Pioneer Prints, Nissi Naturals and Impact Everything. Portions of the profits from sales will be donated to the designated charities of these businesses including Riverzedge Arts, Bloom Where You’re Planted, The Ronald McDonald House and others.

Giving Beyond the Box (GBTB), launched in November 2019, offers curating gift boxes with products from organizations that feed the hungry, provide clean water, resettle refugees, and more.

For the holiday season, Rhode Island’s Little Box of Hope and the Holiday Box of Light sold out. Since that time, GBTB has developed boxes to celebrate Valentine’s Day, as well as Mothers and Father’s Day. and have designed boxes especially for their customers to celebrate birthdays, weddings, new babies, and anniversaries, and to provide care and comfort for loved ones in a time of need.

GBTB carries products from Conscious Step, Equal Exchange, Luminaid and Thistle Farms as well as local products from Beautiful Day, Sanctuary Herbs, Bellicchi’s Best Biscotti, Shri Bark Snacks, and Farm Fresh RI’s Harvest Kitchen.

“After several years of running pop-up markets that featured local, regional and international social enterprises, I saw that consumers are happy to support businesses like these. They want to help and appreciate learning that their fellow citizens are addressing important social issues,” says founder and CEO Sandra Enos, who retired from teaching sociology at Bryant University in 2019. “At Giving Beyond the Box, we’re trying to build a bridge between enterprises that are doing important work and consumers who are increasingly asking where their food, clothing and other products are coming from. With Hope Strikes Back, we want to provide a bridge between businesses of color and consumers interested in economic empowerment.”

Prior to the Hope Strikes Back box, the design of the boxes along with the company’s logo, greeting cards, and business cards, were designed by the students and staff at Riverzedge Arts in Woonsocket. The current design is by Chris Fagbayi, an innovative and creative graphic designer, formerly of Rivezedge Arts.

Giving Beyond the Box will be selling limited-edition Hope Strikes Back boxes at its online marketplace. Boxes can also be found at Green Tenderfoot in Pawtucket and The Collective in Peace Dale. Boxes ordered online can be picked up at Glow Café & Juice Bar, the Social Enterprise Greenhouse as well at Green Tenderfoot and The Collective. Discounts are provided for local pickup.

About Giving Beyond the Box

Giving Beyond the Box aims to connect consumers with products that have a positive social impact, both in Rhode Island and across the globe. The company offers curated gift boxes with products from organizations that feed the hungry, provide clean water, empower women, resettle refugees, reduce environmental waste, and much more. Our Hope Strikes Back box features products exclusively from Rhode Island based businesses of color.