Joshua Williams became an advocate for the poor at age 4. No kidding. He’s the real deal.
Now, at age 13, Joshua runs Joshua’s Heart Foundation, a nonprofit with 1,200 volunteers around the country working to feed the poor, delivering 650,000 pounds of food, having raised over $350,000 and helped over 30,000 people.
Joshua says, “I say to kids in most of my speeches that you’re never too young to make a difference."
On September 10, 2014 at 5:00 Eastern, Joshua will join me for a live discussion about the inspiring work that he’s doing. Tune in here to watch the interview live.
More about Joshua’s Heart Foundation:
Stomp Out Hunger:
Joshua’s Heart Foundation was born out of a five year-old’s simple wish to feed the hungry. Since then, the Foundation has distributed over 650,000 pounds of food to those in need. With one in six Americans facing hunger today, there’s still plenty of work to be done. By getting involved in Joshua’s Heart Foundation, you play a vital role in fulfilling our mission.
Joshua’s Heart Foundation values:
Joshua’s Heart Foundation (JHF) was founded by a young man named Joshua when he was almost 5 years old, it is a 501© 3 non-for-profit organization, which empowers, needy people to improve their quality of life, by providing items of basic necessities, such as groceries, and by effectively engaging and educating communities at home and abroad about committing to fight hunger and poverty on global basis. JHF is a youth run organization dedicated to stomping out hunger, we inspire young people ages 2 years old and older to take action to use their passion to change the world.
To date over 650,000 pounds of food has been given to people in need in both South Florida and Jamaica and over 150,000 Meals Served. He hopes to reach 1 million pounds by the end of the year. Help us to reach that goal
JHF hosts small weekly food distribution, provide food in backpacks for children on the weekends who otherwise would have no food, host seven large food distributions annually and healthy cooking demonstration around South Florida.
Joshua’s bio:
At the tender age of four and a half, Joshua became passionate about assisting the needy after viewing Feed the Children. He was in disbelief about the children who were suffering worldwide. His first solution to the problem was that his mother should adopt some of these unfortunate children and send money to help others. His mother was touched by his compassion and promised they would help in whatever way possible. Weeks after his initial interest in helping the needy, his grandmother gifted him some pocket money. Joshua’s true desire to help shined through when he chose to give the money to a hungry, homeless person on a local street. Though his mother advised him that she would prefer to give the able-bodied person food, Joshua insisted that it was his money and his decision to give the man his money. Following this experience, Joshua’s vision to aid the needy started to blossom.
Joshua was also inspired by the documentary War Dance, which focused on the atrocities faced by Northern Uganda children. With rebels taking the lives of their own people and using children to perform terrible deeds, many children were orphaned. Joshua was exposed to the dependence these children had on outside forces to sustain them. In the documentary, the children performed in a dance competition in Southern Uganda, and as a result, dancing helped to heal their suffering. The documentary motivated Joshua even more to help the less fortunate. Simultaneously, it stirred a desire to visit Africa at some point in the future.
These experiences prompted Joshua to want to start his mission to fulfill his vision; however, he had difficulty getting others to join him. He first sought adult assistance from his aunts. However, months of inactivity forced Joshua to “fire” them and to seek help elsewhere. Out of frustration, Joshua brought the situation to his mother’s attention. She had been unaware of the struggle he was having with getting her sisters to help him help the poor. Unfortunately, she too had an overloaded schedule and was unable to immediately assist him in his venture. Any other child may have become discouraged and given up, but Joshua resorted to new tactics. For several months, he prodded his mother daily for assistance impressing upon her the importance of having his goal attained. Finally, he made progress with his mother, and they began to give away food and other items to people in need. At this point, Joshua’s thought of starting a company related to feeding the hungry took hold. One of Joshua’s aunts rose to the challenge and pointed them in the direction to start a non-profit organization. The Joshua’s Heart Foundation (JHF) was born.
Joshua is always thinking about what is next? How can he continue to grow the foundation in ways that focus on people in need? As he travels throughout the country to speak to people about JHF, Making a difference and you are never too young to make a difference. He hopes to touch the hearts of young people so they become inspired to do something to make a difference for those less fortunate. He wants more people to have access to food. His idea is to help them learn about growing their own food and sharing what they grow with their families and others.
Joshua has attributed his mission to a vision he says he received from God. He feels that God has a purpose for everyone, and he has been given his. Joshua truly appreciates the assistance he receives from his family members, even his aunts he initially had to “fire.” Without them, he knows his vision would not have come to fruition. Joshua’s humbleness and hopefulness is an inspiration to all. Through JHF, his generosity has begun to make a difference in this world.
#113: This Teen Feeds the Poor; You Won't Believe When He Started