Sharing Hope, One Meal at a Time
When we think of a servant, we often picture someone dedicated to helping and supporting others. Jesus is known as a servant, giving everything to serve others (Mark 10:45). In partnering with Servants With a Heart, we discovered that they embody the same love, compassion, and dedication that any servant exemplifies in making a difference for others and communities alike.
Servants With a Heart has a mission of impacting three distinct groups through service:
- The people receiving meals whose lives are changed by the support
- Volunteers of all ages who come together with their family and friends to make a difference
- A dedicated leadership team that guides and inspires the volunteers
They partner with organizations interested in hosting a meal-packing event. The host organization raises the funds to cover meal costs, provides the space, and recruits volunteers. Servants With a Heart brings all necessary equipment to the event and knowledgeable leaders to guide volunteers and work alongside them. Additionally, Servants With a Heart hosts special SWH Impact Days throughout the year, inviting former volunteers and community members to join in meal-packing events at their warehouse. In 2024, they held 32 packing events, resulting in 2.5 million meals with the help of 25,000 volunteers.
Jeff and Suzanne Yoh founded Servants With a Heart in 2011, inspired by the book Halftime by Bob Buford. The book’s message—investing the first half of life focused on success and the second half on purpose and impact—resonated deeply with Jeff, who came to faith later in life. He and Suzanne felt called to lead a life of significance and more focused on purpose, impact, and growth.
After attending workshops and seeking guidance, they waited for the right opportunity to spearhead a non-profit together. They began looking for opportunities to volunteer together, and Suzanne served on a steering committee for a packing event that was looking to fill a shift with Boy Scouts. Jeff was on the BSA County Council at that time, and what began as a one-time event quickly became a passion for Jeff and Suzanne. Seeing the profound impact of meal-packing firsthand, they knew they had found their calling. Initially joining an organization that set up global meal-packing satellites, they later established Servants With a Heart as an independent entity, refining their unique approach to serving communities.
One of the defining aspects of Servants With a Heart is their strong educational component. They collaborate with public and private schools to integrate learning into meal-packing events. A former teacher on their leadership team developed a curriculum that meets public school standards, ensuring children gain valuable knowledge about poverty, nutrition, and global communities. Over the years, children who once packed meals have grown up and returned to host their own packing events, keeping the cycle of giving alive.
Secondly, Servants With a Heart prioritizes connecting volunteers with the people and places receiving the meals. The goal is to keep 10% of the meals locally and ship the rest internationally, with previous locations including areas in the Western Hemisphere as well as Africa and Europe. Before each event, volunteers watch a video showing the impact of their efforts, as most people will not get the opportunity to visit the location firsthand. Once meals arrive, Servants With a Heart works to collect photos of the box labels with event details to send back to the host organization, fostering a tangible connection. Often at school events, children color the boxes. They later see the pictures of those very boxes reach people in another country hundreds of miles away—a truly unforgettable experience for them. Mission trips have also been hosted, allowing volunteers to witness the impact of their service directly and sometimes distribute the actual meals they packed.
Another unique aspect of Servants With a Heart is their commitment to ensuring every dollar raised goes directly to food. A local furniture store partnership with Furniture Factory Outlet World helps make that possible. Jeff and Suzanne met the family of the furniture store, which operates a compound in Nicaragua, and the relationship was a perfect fit. The store provides warehouse space, trucks, and other operational components, eliminating overhead costs. Initially, meals without a designated destination were sent to their compound in Nicaragua. However, due to government import restrictions, Servants With a Heart had to stop shipping meals and leading mission trips to Nicaragua.
Therefore, when a mutual friend introduced Wayne to Jeff and Suzanne, it was a pivotal moment. Jeff describes the timing and the connection with Atulado as “a God thing.” Servants With a Heart needed a way to ship food, and Atulado’s export license made that possible. Also, since Atulado hosts mission trips, leaders and volunteers have the opportunity to join trips to Cuba to experience and connect with the people and communities receiving meals.
Our first project with fortified rice packets was successfully launched with hundreds of people being drawn to the church or pastors on the streets to receive much-needed resources, introducing many to the Gospel. Also, plans are underway for a mission trip to Cuba this summer with the leadership team and volunteers.
As a result of the partnership and sending meals to Cuba, one unexpected shift occurred in who receives meals. Previously, children and their families in Nicaragua were the primary recipients. With the younger generation leaving Cuba, a whole generation needs help and care, and now more elderly individuals rely on the meals. By joining forces, we can ignite change and make a meaningful impact on the lives of the people in Cuba, volunteers, and leaders.
