For his sixteenth birthday, Josh Flancer and twenty of his friends and family gathered in the Volunteer Center at Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) to pack Food Paks.
“It’s the best way to celebrate,” Josh told his mom. “I don’t want to celebrate any other way.”
“It’s the best way to celebrate. I don’t want to celebrate any other way.
It wasn’t the first time Josh chose to celebrate this way—but it was one of many moments in a tradition that began three years earlier.
“We had just finished the holidays,” shared his mother, Glenda. “He was about to turn thirteen. He came to me and said, ‘Can we do something different for my birthday? I have too many gifts already.’”
Glenda asked him what he wanted to do instead, and Josh said he wanted to do something to help others.
“I was a little surprised,” Glenda shared. “Because the normal way to celebrate is to have a party. But we really tried to get him to understand that he has to share what he has, and I think that was the moment I realized that the things we have been doing to encourage him to be generous had worked.”
She asked around for local volunteer opportunities, and a friend mentioned CHF. At first, Josh’s friends were a little surprised to be volunteering instead of having a traditional birthday party, but they quickly embraced the activity and were happy to come back the next year. Some friends were even inspired to volunteer on their own or have their own birthday parties at CHF.
As Josh grew older, the way he served didn’t fade—it matured alongside him. When Josh was old enough to open a bank account, he asked his mom if he could set up a recurring donation to CHF, officially becoming a Hope Partner and helping provide consistent support to families in need around the world. When he landed a paid internship in college, he was excited to increase his donation.
Josh went to UCLA and graduated with a degree in computer science. Today, he’s a software engineer at NASA. At twenty-four, he was part of Mission Control for his first project at NASA. All the while, he continued to celebrate his birthdays at CHF.
This past January, Josh turned twenty-six and once again celebrated his birthday by volunteering with friends and family at Children’s Hunger Fund, marking the thirteenth year of this tradition.
“Beyond all his accomplishments,” Glenda shared, “my husband and I are most proud of the person he has become: kind, generous, loving, and always trying to do the right thing, even when it’s not easy. He’s the type of person who would sit with those who are sitting alone. That’s how he met one of his best friends in high school.”
Glenda feels as though CHF has helped them as much as their family has helped CHF because the volunteer opportunity has helped them inspire others to serve.
We at CHF are truly grateful for people like the Flancers, who have brought so many to serve and learn about what local churches are doing around the world to provide food and share the hope of the gospel with children and families in need.
At thirteen, Josh didn’t fully understand how a single small decision could influence the years ahead. He only knew he had already received much and wanted to give something back. That same attitude continues to guide him today.
“I have so much,” a sixteen-year-old Josh once shared. “My family’s always had a stable job, stable housing. I have everything I could ask for and more. It’s just such a great feeling to provide something for someone in a terribly unfortunate situation. Why would you not do it?”
