Houston high schoolers Bryce Lui, Jeffrey Chuong and Omar Busaidy team up to launch a non-profit in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a plan in hand and the ambition to see it succeed, they launch their initiative in only three weeks.​

When Bryce Lui heard about a Boston organization raising funds to purchase meals from local restaurants for COVID-affected frontline workers, he reached out to his buddies, Jeffrey Chuong and Omar Busaidy to see if they could do the same, but Texas-style.​

The three friends’ parents work as doctors in the Houston area, and at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, they were overhearing similar conversations at home. ​

“What touched me was my mom talking to her Nurse Practitioner,” says Omar. “Just to hear her words of encouragement—to push through it even though it’s really hard—that’s when I really understood the emotional toll it was having on doctors and nurses.”​

Starting a non-profit during a global health crisis is no small feat. Luckily, they had volunteer experience on their side; high school seniors Bryce, Jeffrey and Omar have been volunteering at hospitals and museums since middle school.

They launched their initiative, Food for Heroes, in three short weeks. By April, 2020, Bryce, Jeffrey and Omar had gathered enough donations to start filling the pockets of covid-affected local restaurants and the bellies of frontline workers. ​

Through fundraising, recruiting donors, the help of a grant, and spreading the word on social media, Food for Heroes has delivered approximately USD $8,500 worth of food to frontline workers as of Spring 2021. ​

With every challenge that came up along the way—setting up a website, social media accounts, opening a bank account and Venmo account, and starting a Go Fund Me—the friends leaned on each other for support. “What made this whole project easier was having two people who are dedicated and ambitious,” Omar says of his pals, Jeffrey and Bryce. ​

Bryce, Jeffrey and Omar are looking forward to their next chapter after graduating this year, knowing that the ability to create change is never out of reach, especially when you have your friends by your side.