Feel Good Friday - JJoy Foundation

In February, I'll be heading to Cambodia with the JJoy Foundation for my 9th volunteer house building trip, which inspired me to spotlight their incredible work this week.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, the mission of JJoy Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in underserved communities around the world through education, health, and housing programs.

JJoy's work spans multiple areas: they provide educational support and scholarships, deliver health and wellness programs, and build housing for families in need. My volunteer work in February will focus on their housing initiatives in Cambodia, where they partner with Volunteer Building Cambodia, a locally-run organization that's been improving living conditions for families in rural Cambodia for the past 11 years. Together, they build sturdy, traditional Khmer-style homes and latrines for families living in inadequate housing.

In rural Cambodia, 85% of families lack adequate sanitation and 35% don't have access to safe water. Dilapidated homes require constant repairs, stealing time and resources families need to focus on education, health, and livelihoods. When JJoy builds a secure home with proper sanitation, children have a safe place to study and sleep, parents can invest time in income-generating work, and the entire family gains dignity and stability.

The organization's volunteer-powered model brings people from around the world to work alongside local builders, creating not just homes but connections across cultures. These aren't just construction projects—they're foundations for better futures. Since JJoy began, volunteers have completed 104 project that have benefited more than 2,000 people!

If you'd like to support JJoy Foundation, there are many ways to do so. You can make a donation through my personal fundraising page (my goal is to raise $1,000 by December 17th), or amplify their message on social media. Follow JJoy on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel. I'll also be sharing photos and stories from my trip on my Hey Miss K blog—stay tuned!

Feel Good Friday - StoryCorps

While many people call the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday and spend it shopping, it’s also a day for The Great Thanksgiving Listen, created by today’s organization, StoryCorps.

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the mission of StoryCorps is “to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all—one story at a time.” 

Since its founding, StoryCorps has helped nearly 700,000 people across the country have meaningful conversations about their lives, with recordings collected in the U.S. Library of Congress in what is now the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered. To hear how StoryCorps works directly from the founder, Dave Isay, watch this 3-minute animated Introduction to StoryCorps video.

In 2008, StoryCorps launched the National Day of Listening, an initiative that asks Americans to set aside time to record the stories of their families, friends, and local communities. It occurs on the Friday after Thanksgiving as an alternative to Black Friday shopping. In 2015, StoryCorps evolved the project into The Great Thanksgiving Listen and began encouraging intergenerational conversations, with young people interviewing elders, mentors, and those they admire.

Additional programs include the Military Voices Initiative for veterans and military families, the Memory Loss Initiative for individuals with Alzheimer's and other forms of memory loss, and the Griot Initiative preserving the voices and experiences of African Americans. You can see their full list of programs here. 

If you’re curious to hear stories from your older relatives, I encourage you to talk to them while you still can. You can record a conversation using the free StoryCorps mobile app or visit the MobileBooth as it tours the country. Select stories are shared with the public through weekly broadcasts, their podcast, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. Listening to, or contributing, a story is a great way learn about what we have in common.

If you'd like to support StoryCorps, you can make a donation to help preserve the stories of our time in America and amplify their message on social media. Follow StoryCorps on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Happy Great Thanksgiving Listen!

Feel Good Friday - Share Meals

As we prepare to share Thanksgiving meals with family and friends next week, it's a good time to spotlight Share Meals, an organization working to ensure college students don't have to choose between paying for their education and paying for food.

Founded in 2013 and headquartered in New York City, the mission of Share Meals is to ensure all college students are food secure while empowering them to strengthen their own communities through sharing food. This is accomplished through technology, activism, and advocacy. 

The organization began when founder Jonathan Chin, then an NYU graduate student, saw a post on the Facebook page "NYU Secrets" from a student who had run out of meal swipes and couldn't afford food. Within 24 hours, Chin coded a solution that would connect students. You can see him talk about the origins of Share Meals in this video.

College student hunger affects approximately 40% of students nationwide at some point during their academic careers. The financial pressures of tuition, housing, textbooks, and living expenses often leave students making impossible choices that impact their ability to focus in class and stay enrolled.

Share Meals addresses this through several programs. The Share Meals app serves as a digital platform where students can donate unused meal swipes to peers experiencing food insecurity. Many college meal plans include "swipes"—prepaid meals that students access by swiping their ID cards at campus dining halls. Unused swipes expire and the app enables students to donate swipes to peers before that happens. The app also allows students to post information about free food available from campus events—all in real-time based on location.

Other programs include Open Kitchen, offering community cooking classes where students learn to prepare affordable, healthy meals together, and Packathon events where students package meals for distribution.

Share Meals now operates on over 400 university campuses across the United States, helping more than 15,000 students and facilitating thousands of shared meals. In 2021, the app assisted 4,000 food-insecure NYU students in just one semester.

If you'd like to support Share Meals, there are many ways to do so. Make a donation and amplify their message on social media. Follow Share Meals on Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Happy Thanksgiving!