Karen and Jay Eubanks

"I learned from my parents to pitch in and give back," says Karen Eubanks. "Although early in our life together, Jay and I didn't have much. As soon as we started to earn money, we started supporting CARE, like my parents did. We have now supported CARE for over 40 years. My parents knew how CARE had made such an important impact after WWII."

Karen and Jay were born and raised in Oregon, and they met when they were both students at Lane Community College. Jay had big dreams to be a rock star, and they moved to Southern California to pursue the dream. Although Jay didn't find fame or fortune in the music business, he did arrange benefit concerts for CARE. When we didn't have much money, we volunteered. Jay's band performed on the Queen Mary, Star Trek stars on board, with most of the benefits going to CARE. Karen explains, "The last night of the Copacabana in Los Angeles, we were honored to take part in a benefit concert for CARE. When we lived in Southern California, we got to know the CARE person who ran the LA office. This really cemented our relationship with CARE."

"Other things draw us to CARE, too. We have also been really pleased with the amount of money CARE puts to its mission work. CARE keeps its overhead low, and that's attractive to us. Over the years, we've grown to appreciate how CARE not only feeds people, but also teaches people how to feed themselves. We think this is vital, and it's smart business."

"We love CARE because CARE feeds people. So many places around the world have so little, we are pleased to help CARE help those who need it most."

Both Karen and Jay got into furniture sales as reps, then they opened a furniture store and invested in real estate. This enabled the Eubanks to be more generous with the charities they support. They are now retired, and they live in a small town outside of Seattle. "And with their kids and grandkids in the same town, we are at a very happy place in life."

"Just like our parents passed on to us their values of helping others, we pleased to see our kids do the same. Our eldest daughter had a friend who adopted a child from India. At first she supported the orphanage, but the organization, with support from people like her, has grown: it now has several schools and leper colonies—and it's on the frontlines with the pandemic. In league with the organization, our daughter has now formed a charity that is supporting and educating a school of 370 kids—12 of their parents have died from Covid-19."

"We have also included CARE in their estate plans. In whatever way we can, we want to leave the world a better place. We re-do our wills from time to time with an eye on what we need to do to provide for our family and the world. CARE has always been our number one charity. Life has its twists and turns. We've both had heart surgeries in the last two years, so we want to make plans while we still can."