We had the good fortune of connecting with The Kaizen Project Team and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi The Kaizen Project Team, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
Our driving force since beginning our organization has been our name, Kaizen. It is a Japanese term that means “continuous improvement.” Our organization began as an effort to curb food insecurity around the DFW metroplex. We aimed to bring together students and families to raise awareness regarding this important issue and join hands to support those in need. With each passing year, we strive to improve upon what we have done in the past, and over the years, we have worked together to serve more families across a wider range of demographics and implement initiatives like resource lists detailing local organizations providing support for free or at low cost in a variety of sectors. In a similar way, we hope to improve the lives of others a little bit more each and every year. Going forward, we realize that each year there are more and more people that need support. We hope to continue our annual Thanksgiving food drive while taking into consideration the needs of our community to better serve the families within.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Each Thanksgiving, we work together as a community to raise funds, purchase groceries, and pack boxes of nutritious complete meals for low-income families across the DFW metroplex. What we are most proud of is that since 2018, we have raised over $30,000 to provide over 2,000 meals to those in need. In addition, we have developed partnerships with schools, community organizations, and businesses all dedicated to service. Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated with family and centered on reflecting in gratitude for all the blessings we are given in life. We hope to make each Thanksgiving season as joyous as possible for everyone.

What makes our organization unique is that we are student-led. We bring together middle school, high school, college, and graduate school students to provide the vision for our organization, and with the help of our families and friends in our communities, we are able to build impactful relationships with community partners.

Founded in 2017, Famcore Foundation has helped in laying the groundwork for the eventual development of several projects, including Hams For Fams in New Orleans, Knights in Action in Lafayette, and the Kaizen Project in Texas. As student-led projects, the road to making a big impact on our surrounding community was not always easy. With a significant portion of our time dedicated to education, we relied on teamwork to achieve our checkpoints and goals for the year. Each member of the team was dedicated to creating the best working environment that fostered creativity, vision, and perseverance. It was in these moments, we were very fortunate to have the support of our families who provided guidance and advised us on ways to move forward.

What we want the world to know about our story is that this is just the beginning. We hope to continue developing our organization to hear the stories of those in need within our communities and to make an even greater impact in the years to come.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our annual Thanksgiving food drive would not be possible without the efforts of our families, friends, volunteers, and incredible business and community partner organizations. Each year, we receive phone calls and messages from family and friends asking to help both financially and with packing and delivery on the day of our food drive. From lifting boxes of heavy groceries to driving across the DFW metroplex to deliver, our volunteers truly serve as the driving force of our organization. We are also extremely grateful to each and every business partner who recognized the hardships faced by those suffering from food insecurity and supported us through their generous grants and in-kind donations. Additionally, we would like to highlight our community partners who over the years have helped us identify individuals in the most need across our communities. Thank you to Stepping Stones Foundation, Wings of a Butterfly, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Project Home, and Midpark Towers for all that you do to support your community throughout the year!

Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to those in our community who we have the privilege to serve. We notice the hardships you endure, the amount of hard work you put in to make ends meet, and the gratitude you have for each and every aspect of life; you are truly the heart of our organization. We hope to carry the messages you have shared with us over the past several years in our efforts to provide resources in the best way possible going forward.

Website: www.kaizenproject.org

Instagram: kaizenprojectdfw

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