Our mission at Nunbelievable is to endthe hunger crisis in America, and we take that goal very seriously. In addition to donating to our partners in this fight, we also strongly believe in rolling up our sleeves and chipping in on the front lines. Doing good really does make you feel good, so we started the year off with two days of volunteering that were especially meaningful, helping out our friends at Joshua’s Heart Foundation and New York City Relief.
Putting Our Heart Into Volunteering
Based in Miami Beach,Joshua’s Heart provides food and relief to people in the local community and around the world. We’ve been so inspired by the organization's young leader,Joshua Williams, who began his crusade to help the hungry when he was just 4-and-a-half years old. Since then, Joshua’s Heart has provided more than 2 million pounds of food to over half a million people.
In January we had the opportunity to experience their work firsthand when we brought some customers and friends of Nunbelievable to their food pantry, which serves hundreds of people each month. We helped sort and distribute donations from Whole Foods, including milk, vegetables, strawberries, bread, notebooks and other school supplies, as well as samples of our delicious Nunbelievable cookies.
“Joshua’s Heart loves volunteers,” says Tobi Ash, the foundation’s director. “Since our inception we have inspired more than 50,000 youth and almost 45,000 adult volunteers.” They are always grateful for people who can help out, and appreciated the sweet touch we added. “My favorite part of the day was when the Nunbelievable team served the clients and gave them cookies,” Ash says. “Most food insecure families who receive food from food pantries and food banks rarely get treats, let alone such delicious ones.”
It was a rainy day, but that didn't dampen the spirits of our crew. “Being able to be a part of the Nunbelievable mission in a tangible way to get to see the impact that organizations are having on their communities,” says Nunbelievable customer Marcella Wallace. “We especially loved interacting with the kids who came into the food pantry.”
Getting to see the impact Joshua's Heart makes was especially gratifying. “Serving people with love in our hearts was such a blessing,” says Scott Tennant the CEO of Senergy Medical Group in Irving, Texas. “I am so thankful for the opportunity to learn from others and serve them with the respect that they deserve.”
That was a popular sentiment among our group. “I was excited for my company to join forces with Nunbelievable to serve men, women, and children through Joshua's Heart,” says Maruxa Murphy of Lake Worth, Florida, CEO/Founder of Perky Perky Coffee. “It was a wonderful experience to partner with Joshua’s Heart and the Nunbelievable team for the day because by coming together, we were able to do our small part in serving families that live just minutes from me. I look forward to serving there again with my own family and continue to give back to our community.”
Spreading the Love in the Big Apple
A few weeks later we spent Valentine’s Day with New York City Relief for their weekly day of outreach at a local branch of the Salvation Army.New York City Relief is an incredible organization that helps provide members of the community with resources and hope. In addition to serving food to the hungry, they specialize in “Life Care Visits,” in which they develop individualized action plans that help people connect to shelter, jobs, and assistance with issues relating to detox and drug rehabilitation. “NYC Relief exists to connect our homeless neighbors to the things they need. But we also exist to connect the housed community to those experiencing homelessness, so that together we can make a better world,” says Josiah Haken, the organization’s vice president of outreach. “Serving with the Nunbelievable team was an incredible opportunity for our staff and our guests to link arms with a company that is built on the premise that a brighter future is possible when people come together. We are grateful for the Nunbelievable team for giving their time and their resources to make the lives of our guests just a little sweeter.”
During our day at the Salvation Army we got to know some of New York City Relief’s clients, and helped serve them hearty soup, fresh rolls, and hot chocolate. We also gave out our delicious Nunbelievable cookies as a special treat. The folks at Bombas Socks were also part of the event, donating socks (the most requested item of clothing at homeless shelters) and handing out roses as a gesture of love in honor of the holiday. “We love New York City Relief because of the work they do right here in our home community,” says Nunbelievable co-founder and CMO Kuda Biza. “They don’t just focus on feeding the people, they go beyond that by helping people get back on their feet for a better future. We were honored to be able to help spread the love, because that’s such a big part of our mission at Nunbelievable.”
One of our goals in hosting these volunteering events is to show people how many opportunities there are in local communities to give back. “I was born and raised in New York City and growing up it was commonplace to see homeless people in the street corners, church steps, and the subway system,” says Christophe Rosario, creative director at Butler Media. “As a child, I never really understood what it meant, but as I grew older I became more conscious of their struggles. However, I always felt like it was someone else’s responsibility. It wasn’t until I decided to volunteer with Nunbelievable and NYC Relief that I finally understood that it is all of our responsibilities. Serving the homeless soup, hot chocolate, and cookies on what was one of the coldest days of the year was an eye-opening and humbling experience that reminded me no matter where we are in life, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.”
Join the Fight Against Hunger
For the Nunbelievable team and our friends, these were especially empowering experiences. If you'd like to join us for future volunteering events, please sign up here.
And remember, for each 12-count box of delicious Nunbelievable cookies you purchase, we make a contribution to one of our partners in the fight against hunger. You can order themhere.
