Meet Every day Level of Gentle Award honoree Aakash Suresh. Learn his story and nominate an excellent volunteer or household as a Every day Level of Gentle.  

Serving because the vice chair for the Junior Advisory Board of Joshua’s Coronary heart Basis, Aakash Suresh of Pembroke Pines, Florida, has displayed exceptional management and dedication in addressing meals insecurity and advocating for the wellbeing of susceptible populations. This youth’s influence is obvious by his tireless efforts in establishing distributions and offering nourishment of 5 million meals to households in want in addition to coordinating conferences with Congress to champion essential initiatives such because the Little one Tax Credit score and Farm Invoice.  

Aakash’s affect has ensured that insurance policies are in place to help these experiencing meals insecurity and create lasting change. His international perspective and compassion have led him to journey to India to fight meals insecurity and set up a growth faculty for youngsters who face bodily and cognitive challenges. 

By this multifaceted work, Aakash embodies the spirit of volunteerism and encourages others to take a world position in service. Learn on to seek out out extra about his story. 

Describe your volunteer position. 

I’m the vice chair and head of relations of the Junior Advisory Board of Joshua’s Coronary heart Basis, a nonprofit based mostly in Miami, that works to finish world starvation. We work nationwide in addition to internationally. We’ve a meals pantry based mostly in North Miami, and now we’re restructuring and launching Joshua’s Basis 2.0, to make a extra youth-run basis, somewhat than a youth-volunteer basis. 

As vice chair, I work to coordinate members. Previous to COVID-19, it was round 100 members, and now we’re right down to about 20 or 30, however we’re climbing again as much as that quantity. So coordinating every day pantry operations, connecting with outdated in addition to new relations, getting donors to assist us out, getting extra meals sponsors – like Complete Meals and Publix – so we are able to use these donations in our pantry community. We even have a sister basis known as Bread for the World, the place we work in advocacy. Priorities there embody passing the Little one Tax Credit score Invoice, or the Pandemic EBT Invoice.  

I’m additionally concerned in laptop science and machine studying. So on the facet, as a ardour challenge, I’m making a machine studying predictor with the intention to discover meals insecurity in geographical areas earlier than it happens.

What impressed you to begin this initiative? 

It was a household factor. My brother was concerned after I was round 10 years outdated. My mother and father are additionally concerned in it. The entire essence of household is what the group is all about, and that’s how I initially acquired concerned. Joshua’s Coronary heart was based by Joshua, his mother and his grandmother. For the previous six or seven years I’ve been concerned.  

Why is addressing meals insecurity so essential in in the present day’s world? 

I believe all of it ties again to this concept of fairness, not equality. All people deserves to not be hungry. However some individuals are in worse financial conditions than others. We’re all attempting to get the identical quantity of meals and attempting to make the starvation scenario higher usually, however some individuals are not as privileged or economically advantaged as others.  

Diet is such an enormous, essential a part of somebody’s life. Joshua’s Coronary heart was one of many first nonprofits to implement dietary values into pantry growth, somewhat than giving out junk meals. It’s meals that’s supposed to really assist make individuals extra wholesome.  

Meals safety helps present a basis for all the pieces else. By assembly this primary want – giving individuals meals – you give them some extent to leap off of. They’ll get a job. They’ll get a house for themselves. They themselves can remedy meals insecurity. It’s a cycle. 

Share a rewarding story out of your volunteer work. 

This previous spring break, I went to India on a household journey, in addition to to determine a growth faculty. My household and I helped develop this faculty in an space of India that was hit by a tsunami and has principally [low-income residents]. The college takes in cognitively and bodily disabled children and helps to show them and supply them with meals and education.  

Joshua’s Coronary heart helped us join with them. I believe it was one of the vital rewarding experiences – establishing this faculty in my hometown, the place my roots are. Seeing how we are able to make change, not simply there however all over the place. 

Why is it essential for individuals to get entangled with the causes they care about? 

It fosters your personal independence and activism. For those who care about one thing, take cost of it. For those who’re in a job you don’t like, you’re not going to be performing as properly. For those who’re not as emotionally concerned in a job, you’re not going to reach that position. If you’re enthusiastic about it, you’ll succeed since you’ll need to succeed.  

As youngsters and youngsters in youth service, if we don’t discover curiosity in one thing, we don’t actually need to do it. But when we take an curiosity within the problem – corresponding to fixing meals insecurity – we are going to proceed to take cost of it it doesn’t matter what. Something that will get in the way in which, we’ll work by, as a result of we have an interest within the success of the mission. 

What recommendation would you share with individuals who need to begin volunteering? 

Make sure that to assist out wherever you’ll be able to. Irrespective of the scenario, assist somebody. I’ve seen conditions the place individuals who have much less, assist extra. Make a change in your group.  

Do you need to make a distinction in your group like Aakash? Discover native volunteer alternatives.  

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