My name is Colin Wanless. I am the 14-year-old President of the Palm Beach Region and Founder and Chair of the Junior Advisory Board of the Boca Raton Chapter of Joshua’s Heart Foundation. Our Junior Advisory Board consists of philanthropic youth dedicated to implementing Joshua’s vision of empowering youths and adults to make a difference in stomping out hunger in their community and ending the cycle of poverty. Volunteers ages 5-18 raise funds for the foundation and sponsor or host food drives and food distributions for families at schools, churches, community centers and other pre-approved facilities. Our volunteers also collect, donate, and distribute books, clothing, toiletries, toys, school supplies and other household items to families in need.
We continually educate others on the prevalence of hunger and speak publicly about ways youth can make a difference.
A few of the places we have held food, clothing, toiletry and personal item distributions are Our Savior Lutheran Church, Joseph C. Carter Park, The Griffin Park Community Center, Miramar Elementary School, and Gulfstream Middle School.
To date members of the Boca Chapter have fed over 13,540 people 194,916 meals. We have collected and donated over 5,000 personal items (including lotions, conditioners, shampoos, toothbrushes and water bottles) 1,150 books, $2,000 worth of toys, 775 bunches of flowers, and 233,899 pounds of clothes. We have also raised over $10,000 through bake sales, mini-golf fundraisers, corporate donations, sales of fidget spinners and handmade Para cord bracelets. Furthermore, we have created, planted and harvested food at my school’s hydroponic garden.
Although we have accomplished a great deal in a few short years, we realize there is still a lot more to do. 1 out of 6 people struggle with hunger in Florida and 1 out of 4 children will go to bed hungry. In Palm Beach County, where our Boca Chapter is located, 202,110 people or 15.1 % of the population is food insecure. So many people need our help!
So we reaching out to you to get involved. We hope that you will take action by:
- Applying for a position on our Junior Advisory Board
- Volunteering at one of our events
- Hosting a food drive or food collection at a location convenient for you
- Taking up a collection of toys, books, toiletries and personal items or
- Donating funds to our organization. Click on the donate button on the link https://joshuasheart.org/ or the MAKE A DONATION ONLINE NOW! link and indicate the funds are for the Boca/Palm Beach Region. Since Joshua’s Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Your donations and contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Thank you so much for your consideration of our cause.