Joshua Williams

Addressing food insecurity in South Florida

Location: Florida
Website: Joshua's Heart Foundation
Donation amount: $10,000

Joshua Williams has been compelled to help the hungry and the poor as far back as he can remember. At 4 years old, he made a choice few others his age would have thought to consider. He chose to give $20 to a hungry man on the street rather than spend the special gift from his grandmother on toys for himself.

His empathetic spirit led him to launch Joshua’s Heart Foundation (JHF) in 2005, to help vulnerable people improve their quality of life by providing necessities like groceries and personal items. In 20 years, the youth-led nonprofit has raised nearly $6 million, inspired more than 60,000 youth volunteers and fed more than 800,000 people in the fight against hunger and poverty in underserved communities across South Florida.

Joshua's model focuses on dignity-driven care, mobile outreach and overcoming barriers to health access for low-income, minority and immigrant families. More than 8 million pounds of food and hygiene items have been distributed, serving 40,000 individuals in the last year alone.

An important factor of JHF’s success is the focus on empowering the next generation of social change agents. Volunteers are armed to make an even greater impact at a global scale through leadership training and community engagement.

Joshua is the youngest-ever White House Champion of Change, an honor he received from President Barack Obama at the age of 11, a TEDx speaker and a globally recognized voice in youth leadership, economic equity and systems change.