In Frisco, over 900 children and their families receive donations provided by Refresh Frisco, a local organization that aims to keep kids in need supplied with hygiene products throughout the school year. Not only does Refresh Frisco support these families in need, but they also showcase small businesses in Frisco.

When a child is enrolled in the Refresh Frisco program, the organization provides them with pre-packaged bags called “refresh bags” that include products such as deodorant, lotion, and soap that can last up to three months. These packs are specifically tailored to the child’s gender and age, and are delivered to their school every few months to keep them supplied. All students that receive these packages remain anonymous in order to protect their identities and respect their privacy.

In addition, Refresh Frisco aims to support small businesses and showcase vendors in the Frisco area. Joy & Jenny, founded by mother-daughter duo Joy Antonini and Jenny Anotnini, is a local clay earring shop that will be present at the Refresh Frisco Fall Vendor Fair. Each earring is handmade, and certain designs available for purchase include floral patterns, seasonal colors and holidays, and customizable sports earrings that can be personalized by sport and jersey numbers.

Joy Antonini, co-founder of Joy & Jenny, provides insight behind the creation of this business and what she enjoys most about owning a jewelry shop with her mother.

“I’ve always wanted to start a business, but I wasn’t sure what kind. I started with personalized journals, but once the journal was created, the creative process was done, and having the opportunity to be creative was my favorite part! So that wasn’t going to work,” said Antonini.  “Our cousin makes clay jewelry, so she taught us the basics. Once we made our first pair of earrings, we were both in love. The reason we wanted to own a mother/daughter business is so that we can both use our artistic talents, and we love working together.”

Jenny Antonini, co-founder of Joy & Jenny, shares what she has learned from the process of creating this business, and how far Joy & Jenny has come since the beginning. 

“I think one of the most valuable things I’ve learned is that things just take time. When we started this business, I kind of expected it to take off immediately, but that’s actually unusual, ” said Antonini. “Slowly, people started learning about us and now we have a pretty steady customer base that keeps up with our new creations. It pushes us to try and outdo ourselves when we can.”

Joy Antonini details how she found out about Refresh Frisco and reveals what Jenny & Joy has in store for the vendor fair.  

“I first learned about Refresh Frisco when I was a student at Reedy High School,” she said. “Their mission to ensure students’ hygienic needs are met is so inspiring. We’ve been trying to make new and fun designs that could potentially be good gifts for Christmas and just fun additions to one’s outfits.”

To donate to Refresh Frisco, visit refreshfrisco.org. On the site, there is a full list of items needed. If you or someone you know would like to help, Refresh Frisco encourages hygiene product drives to be hosted through Frisco schools or other local businesses. Parents and students can also make refresh cards that are included in a refresh pack. 

The Refresh Frisco Fall Vendor Fair is on Sunday, Nov. 7. The event will take place at Lone Star Ranch Clubhouse at 5501 Beacon Hill Dr. To discover more Frisco businesses featured at the fair, visit https://refreshfrisco.org/fall-vendor-fair to see the full list.