“We can do it. We can start small, and that small change will eventually make a huge change so that hunger will be no more!”

—Joshua Williams

People who inspire us are often those who see a need and refuse to rest until that need is met. Especially when that person is young, we can’t help but smile. The world will be a little better today because someone wise beyond his years has shown us how to make a difference.

Joshua Williams was five years old when something came into his heart that would change his life and the lives of thousands of others. His journey began with a $20 birthday gift from his grandmother. She said he could use it any way he wanted.

On his way to church that morning, the five-year-old began thinking about all the things he could buy with the money. Then, peering out the car window, Joshua noticed a homeless man standing on the street corner. That moment changed his life forever. Joshua was compelled, instantly, to give the man his $20 bill in the hope that it would make a small difference.

With this gesture, Joshua discovered his life's calling to help the needy. At just five years old, Joshua knew he would need help in order to make his dream—to stomp out hunger—a reality. He enlisted his family, and soon they were delivering meals to the homeless every Saturday. Joshua began to realize, however, that he needed a "bigger, better and easier way to distribute food." He and his family came up with the idea to have the homeless community come to a centralized distribution point. On their first distribution day, Joshua and his team of helpers provided more than 300 families with food. They continued distributing groceries this way every month for two years.

With the success of his work, Joshua eventually created the Joshua's Heart Foundation to continue his mission of feeding the homeless. Now, several years later, his foundation continues to provide food and cooking classes for needy families.

While Joshua's current work focuses on hunger in his Miami community, he hopes to someday help eliminate hunger around the world.

"Food is one of the basic necessities of life, and it truly breaks my heart to know that children are hungry; it breaks my heart to know that people are hungry," says Joshua. "I want to make a big change. I want others to help me make a big change in hunger. We can do it. We can start small, and that small change will eventually make a huge change so that hunger will be no more!"

Joshua and his team have helped feed over 20,000 people over the past eight years—and they’re still working to increase that number. Each bag of groceries represents a brighter day in the lives of these individuals and families, and it all began with one young person who saw a need and decided to make a difference.

Service. Pass It On!

This billboard about Service features Joshua Williams.