The Story of Ymanna’s Helping Hands, Inc.

Ymanna’s Helping Hands, Inc. is deeply rooted in my mother’s vision and passion for serving her community. Known for her nurturing nature, she dedicated her time to various volunteer organizations, especially providing breakfast and organizing events for children in need during the holiday season. My mother and sisters were actively engaged in this work, while I mostly offered financial support and occasional volunteering. Though I was too caught up in my personal life to fully understand the intricacies of setting up a nonprofit like a 501(c), I could see the impact of my mother's efforts. She tirelessly reached out to city council members, local stores, and supermarkets, gathering donations for toys and other necessities for the community for over three decades. Every year, our neighborhood, kids, friends, and relatives eagerly anticipated her events.

Unfortunately, in 2016, my mother passed away, leaving behind a legacy of service and compassion. It was a tough time for us, but her words about continuing her work stayed with my family. My sister continues her ministry, keeping our children actively involved. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, I knew I had to carry on her mission. I continued hosting annual Christmas celebrations in her honor, continuing her work at Brooklyn's Lafayette Gardens, Public School 270, and IS 117. Her volunteer team was named “We Stand for Our Children.” She was never able to obtain full legal status as a nonprofit organization.

In 2019, I enrolled in the New York Theological Seminary DMIN Program, initially planning a Bible study series on building community, understanding who our neighbors are, and caring for our neighbors, particularly the unsheltered individuals in our community who lacked necessities and services. Through my interactions with the homeless and my own personal experiences, I understood that water was a critical need. Witnessing their struggles firsthand, I realized the importance of providing access to clean water for basic hygiene. Still following my mother’s spirit of caring for her neighbors, I had to create other ways of doing it. God spoke to me, and a mobile shower became the vision.

This realization sparked the idea of Ymanna’s Helping Hands, Inc. The organization is named Ymanna’s – "Y" representing a need I couldn’t ignore, and "Manna," affectionately recalling my mother, who was called Nana by her grandkids, symbolizing the bread of Heaven. Ymanna’s Helping Hands represents hope and transformation to the world.

The butterfly, a symbol of beauty emerging from struggle, represents my personal journey through my wilderness experience and how I made it this far. It involves the stages of change, stepping out of my comfort zone, and embracing the new beauty found within myself. Ymanna’s Helping Hands speaks for itself – a beacon of support and assistance for our neighbors with a radical hospitality approach. As an all-inclusive official nonprofit organization, I continue to honor my mother's legacy while creating my own, serving communities and making a positive impact wherever I can. I didn’t know the Plans he had for me, but he did Jeremiah 29:11