Beating Out Hunger

When Joshua Williams, a four-year-old Jamaican American boy, saw a homeless man while a passenger in his mother’s car on their way to church in Miami Beach in 2005, he knew that something had to be done to change things. He gave the homeless man, who was holding a sign that read, “Need food, lost my job,” the $20 bill that his grandmother had given him.

“That was the start of me wanting to learn why the man was living on the street,” says Williams. “Then, on another Sunday, I saw a Feed the Children commercial on television, which led to me asking more questions and looking for an opportunity to give back — but there weren’t many for kids my age.”

So, Williams made his own opportunity.

“We started doing work in 2005 and incorporated as Joshua’s Heart Foundation (JHF) in 2007,” he says.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth-run organization, JHF empowers needy people to improve their quality of life by providing necessities like groceries and personal items and also engages and educates young people to fight hunger and poverty on a global basis.

Williams’ initial project was cooking Jamaican food (with his relatives) in his home, packing the car up and giving it out. He learned the basics of giving — and of business — from his entrepreneurial family.

“The project grew over time and we eventually started giving out food in the Miami-Dade area,” Williams explains. “Depending on where we went in Miami, I remember the aspects of kindness and creating a community of giving back.”

Now, all of the organization’s efforts focus on giving back to the community on a larger scale, via its pantry and various projects, both nationally and internationally

(through a diverse volunteer base that includes youth volunteers from around the world, corporate partners and other nongovernment organizations).

“We are not a youth organization per se and are open to all ages, but it’s always been important to me to create that next generation of leaders and have them get tangible experience,” Williams, now 21 and a graduate of NYU Stern School of Business, points out.

“We started as a family and close friends’ grassroots project of giving back, and have blossomed over 15 years into a youth community of more than 60,000 volunteers, have given out 6 million-plus pounds of food, served over 5 million meals and donated more than 200,000 items of clothing, toys, books, and toiletries.”

For more information about Joshua’s Heart Foundation, call 305-944-4452 or visit joshuasheart.org.