Nourishing Hearts | Dr. Emilian Emeagwali
“Nourishing Hearts” written by Beverly Jones
It’s not difficult to feel the love and compassion Dr. Emilian Emeagwali exudes, and especially when she is doing what she loves, helping others.
Dr. Emeagwali started the nonprofit, Giving Back to Community Corporation (GBTC) in 2009, after witnessing the extreme poverty and food insecurities first hand in her native country, Nigeria. It wasn’t long after COVID, she noticed that poverty and lack of nutritious food knows no borders and her community in Long Island, NY was also suffering. So she expanded GBTC to help her neighbors through a Let’s Choose Love grant.
In 2023, with the help of a $1,000 Let’s Choose Love grant, the “Nourishing Hearts” project began by collecting food and money donations so every family could have a nutritious holiday meal, with all the trimmings. GBTC also partnered with grocery stores, Costco, and others and served 70-80 families. Nourishing Hearts was successful in its food distribution and soon added donated clothing and shoes to its offerings to those in need. GBTC would love to expand its space, to include a food pantry and freezer. Currently, non perishable food drop off is available at Dr. Emeagwali’s clinic, but the extra space would open up serving even more families.
When asked what has changed for her personally, Emilian is quick to add “I don’t like seeing people suffering, and anything I can do to help, I try to do it.” She also adds that “helping another person doesn’t have to be about money, it can be a smile to make someone’s day better.”
“Helping another person doesn’t have to be about money, it can be a smile to make someone’s day better.”
Dr. Emeagwali also shares that “without the Let’s Choose Love grant and supportive team, we could not have been able to serve as many people as we did.” During our conversation, Dr. Emeagwali paused to reflect on how this project impacted her and her neighbors,“This is my passion. I want everyone to be happy- to have the minimum to survive. One of my goals is to see that no one goes to sleep hungry. To be normal, to have the basic necessities to thrive, especially children. People have opportunities. Everyone can be friendly- treat each other with respect - to love one another.”
I asked if she had advice for others who may want to try something similar. “It has to come from your heart. It has to be your dream and it has to be your passion - because it is a lot of hard work - you have to be patient, going day by day. Remember that rejection is okay - you learn from it, move on and just be yourself. If a smile is all you have to give, do that - it is something - just take your time and do it. You will be happy for yourself. To do it though, it must come from your heart - if you fake it, you won’t last.”
GBTC is thrilled that “a lot more people are becoming aware of everything we do.” GBTC is creating awareness of their work and exploring hosting another 5k run and a fundraising gala in October 2024. They are also on the lookout for the perfect food pantry location.
To learn more about GBTC’s food pantry needs, please visit their website.