Continuing Kindness: Julissa and Josiah’s Story

Being a parent means both providing what your child needs today, while also preparing that child for the future. While providing food, shelter and safety, parents also teach compassion and responsibility. They nurture their children, hoping they grow into adults who can stand on their own two feet while also extending a helping hand to others.

Julissa has worked hard to provide for her son in both ways.

Seven-year-old Josiah is the light of Julissa’s life. His mom describes him as “an old soul,” kind, eager to learn and always ready to help. He also has big plans for the future: becoming a YouTube star and using what he earns to help people in his community.

Josiah may be years away from becoming a YouTube star, but he is already finding ways to give back. Whether a friend needs part of his lunch or someone in the city is asking for help, he wants to respond: “I read that sign and they’re just asking for help,” he tells his mom. “Can we give them help, Mom?”

“I try to foster that in him,” Julissa says.

Sometimes they are able to help the people Josiah points out. Sometimes they can’t. But Julissa hopes Josiah will keep looking for opportunities to be kind. Julissa knows from experience how important it can be to receive help when you need it most.

Julissa has always worked. She built a bookkeeping business, pursued a career in accounting and remained determined to provide for Josiah as a single mother. She had also achieved another important goal: buying a home where they could build a stable life together.

Six months after Julissa bought the home where she hoped to build a stable life with Josiah, a pipe burst in the ceiling.

In only minutes, the house was flooded. Repairs, however, took far longer. For nearly a year, Julissa and Josiah moved between temporary residences. Julissa navigated the process of finding contractors and managing the cost of repairs while working and caring for a young child.

Julissa had been taught that homeownership was a smart financial investment. Instead, the flood left her struggling with repairs and instability. Later, as she moved from business ownership into a new career, her financial strain deepened, making it difficult to afford nutritious food and meet Josiah’s other needs.

“I had to make difficult choices to make sure that he had those needs provided for,” she shares. “I had to deal with utilities, paying for bills, and buying food. There were times I had to skip meals to make sure my son ate.”

Asking for assistance wasn’t easy. At some food pantries, Julissa felt judged rather than welcomed. She had always worked and done everything she could to provide for her family. Needing temporary support did not change that, but the way she was treated made an already difficult experience more painful.

Finding a Feed the Children community partner changed everything.

“It was so easy,” Julissa says gratefully. “It was so comforting, to know that there are people that really care about people and their struggles.”

Receiving dignified support lifted a weight from Julissa. The assistance gave her room to keep working toward greater stability. More importantly, it reminded her that difficult circumstances did not have to be permanent.

Today, Julissa is still building the future she wants for her son. And Josiah is still looking for ways to help others whenever he can.

The food and support helped Julissa and Josiah received through a difficult chapter, but the impact doesn’t stop there. It gave her the chance to keep teaching Josiah the values that matter most to their family: kindness, gratitude and compassion for others. And he is already finding ways to pass them on.