Journi’s Hope is a non-profit and we strive to uplift immigrant, refugee, and minority families with nourishment and love. We believe that all families, regardless of where their stories originate, deserve to live securely within the community, and deserve equal access to resources including fresh and nutritious foods.
Journi’s Hope was inspired by a young girl named Journi and her family. From this one family, we have grown to weekly deliver fresh food to 20 families and are adding more within the next month. We also partner with the Kentucky Refugee Ministries (KRM) to supply food to refugee families upon their arrival in Lexington. We recently worked with their heroic effort to relocate Afghani families into the area. We continue to provide emergency groceries as needed and are expecting to pick up many more families over the summer while the Family Resource Center (FRC) of each school is not able to provide for these families.
Q: How long have you lived/worked in Lexington?
Journi’s Hope was founded in October 2020.
Q: What led you to your current career and why do you love it?
In October 2020, while the pandemic was still raging, I received a phone call from the mother of Journi, that would ignite the trajectory of our story. During the pandemic, the logistics and fears associated with receiving a positive COVID case in any household were crippling. As an elementary school teacher, I was assigned as a support system to multiple families, outside of being their child’s classroom teacher. Essentially, my responsibility was to “check-in” regularly on my families to ensure they were navigating the pandemic to the best of their abilities. When Journi’s mom called me that day to say she had tested positive for COVID, I could feel the intensity of the fear in her voice. She called because as a small business owner, she knew that being unable to work would cause her to lose critical income for her family, and she was terrified of being quarantined. I asked Sheena what I could do to help her, and the response was simply, “I don’t know.” At the time, I also was unsure of how I could help. After a day of reflection, I realized that in a crisis, the most basic necessity is food. Food has always been a passion of mine: eating, cooking, entertaining. What I love most about food is that it is a bridge to start a conversation, a gift that can heal someone’s hurt, even if only slightly, and a celebration of life that reminds us all of our family, friends, customs, cultures, & traditions. Therefore, I decided that I would support the family with a freshly prepared meal. Planning, preparing, and delivering this meal brought me closer to the family, and I as shared this story with my neighbors, they wanted to prepare a meal for her as well. In fact, one neighbor purchased a goodie bag of toys and treats for Journi since she was unable to trick-or-treat. We continued to support this family until they recovered from COVID. From here, I realized the greater need in the community, and it became clear that I could actively address the problem by creating a community of caring individuals to collectively fight food insecurity during the COVID pandemic, and this was accomplished by both volunteers and donors. I shared this story and my concern for the families in the Lexington community with the English Language Learner specialist at the elementary school in which I work. As fate would have it, she was single-handedly bringing food, and supplies, and keeping afloat her immigrant and refugee families during the pandemic. I contacted her to see if she had a family in need and to let her know that collectively, we were ready and willing to help. Within 24 hours, one of her families, isolated and scared of COVID, received over $200 of groceries on their doorstep. After seeing the joy in their eyes shared with me through a photograph, I messaged my colleague and I’ll never forget saying to her, “Who’s next?” While this network was effective at helping a few families, we were ready to make a greater impact. While we were seeking to grow, one individual mentioned, “I’d be happy to give more if you could offer me a charitable donation receipt.” Without question, Journi’s Hope was born in that moment, and less than 48 hours later we had submitted to be 501c3 nonprofit.
Q: What would you like for people to know about your job/business?
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Q: What or who has been your biggest inspiration?
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Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Lexington and what is your go-to item on the menu?
We do not have a favorite restaurant, but we are tremendously grateful for the businesses that support our mission including Wild Lab Bakery, Wilson’s Grocery, and Southland Bagel. All of these local establishments donate food and resources to our families.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
We would love to travel everywhere to learn more about the cultural influences of the communities that we serve.
Q: What is your favorite thing about Lexington?
The caring and dedicated community in Lexington is by far the best part of living here.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
We plan to expand to at least 100 families with a sustainable method for food recovery. We also want to have our own space, with a transportation van, and 2-3 full-time employees.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
One day, we would love to establish a physical location and transportation vehicle.
Q: What is something that most people don’t know about you?
As of thus far, we are entirely directed, coordinated, and operated by volunteers. Also, at this point, each of our families has children.
Q: What is a topic you wish you knew more about?
Currently we are working to improve our grant writing skills and would be grateful is anyone could teach us more about this process for non-profits.
Q: What do you feel is an essential part of your daily or weekly routine that contributes to your overall well-being?
Giving back to the community is one of the greatest joys in life.
Q: If you could give advice to any group of people, what would it be?
Open your eyes to the beautiful diversity within our community and embrace it.
Q: Who would you nominate for us to interview next?
KRM- Kentucky Refugee Ministries Wild Lab Bakery- Donate break weekly and volunteer with food recovery, donation, and distribution weekly Southland Bagel- Donate bagels weekly to our families
