Who We Are
Founder's Story
Babies of Homelessness was founded in 2016 by Star Lalario, near Seattle, Washington. Star has a very personal connection with homelessness. When she was in 7th grade, her mother was forced to move Star and her siblings into a shelter in Spokane, Washington. She lived there until her Junior year in High School.
Later in life, this experience inspired Star to volunteer with homelessness-related nonprofits in Western Washington. In 2016, she was helping at the Everett Women and Children’s Shelter when she saw the story of a small child living in appalling conditions, in a nearby unsanctioned homeless encampment. She realized that there was an invisible, underserved group of children who didn’t even have the privilege of living in a shelter. It broke her heart, and she had to take action.
Star began delivering “care packages” of diapers, wipes, formula and snacks directly to families facing homelessness in the area, and grew close with many in the community. She founded Babies of Homelessness to provide these families with the basics – without red tape – along with a sense of hope and support that they were not receiving from other agencies.
From there, the community rallied to help Babies of Homelessness grow in both size and capability. Dozens of volunteers have helped us serve thousands of children, and deliver more than one million diapers overall.
Star continues to serve an important role on the Babies of Homelessness board of directors.
