The JoyJ Initiative was not born like a typical charity and continues to operate like no other.

Charities start when one or more individuals decide to dedicate their time and energy to a cause deemed worthy. Over time, many charities grow in staff and reach, making a tangible and positive impact on their cause.

JoyJ began with a name and a promise. “JoyJ” stands for the Joy of Jesus — drawn from His words in the Gospel of John, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another,” and His promise that this love would bring “joy… full.” In 2013, that promise took the shape of just 12 comfort bags, handed out by three volunteers at a Catholic parish on the Upper West Side.

But that same message — love one another, no exceptions — is also why JoyJ has never been just for one group of people. Being open to all isn’t a departure from our faith; it’s the point of it. So while our name carries a meaning some of our volunteers know well and others discover along the way, JoyJ has always welcomed anyone who wants to do good, whatever they believe or don’t believe.

Doing good is not about labels. It never was. It’s about showing up.

We center our outreach on helping those in dire need, and we are very proud of this work; however, our true mission is another. At JoyJ, we strive to involve the average person in direct acts of kindness and service to form connections across social divides and foster understanding in the volunteers themselves. We work to impact the perceptions of those who have potentially never encountered one-on-one service in their lives.

Direct outreach creates a unique human experience with profoundly lasting effects for both the person in need and the volunteer. Our programs foster a shared sense of responsibility for each other, strengthen the communities we reach, and create connections between people of all walks of life. The promise of full joy is not reserved for the person receiving a comfort bag; it’s for everyone who gives it too.

It is uplifting to watch hundreds of JoyJ volunteers get together to pack comfort bags, soon departing to several locations throughout New York City to find and comfort people experiencing homelessness. It is extraordinary to watch our volunteers travel to Ecuador’s mountains to help and spend time with the elderly living in poverty. It is restorative to watch teenage high school students in London organize a JoyJ outreach on their own account to help the people living on their city streets. Many locations, many stories, but one transformative bonding experience for all who are involved, believers and non-believers alike.

As human beings, we know we have a responsibility to each other regardless of our place in the world, the circumstances we’ve encountered, or what we hold sacred. JoyJ celebrates that responsibility with impactful but straightforward community work; our volunteers see a need and rally to help anywhere on the planet. JoyJ allows non-professional charity workers to directly organize and participate in a quintessential part of being a person: finding, supporting, and connecting with those in need.

Simple, but profoundly human. Open to all, because that’s what love one another actually means.

– The JoyJ Founders & Volunteers