{Joey Adler and I at the Diesel Food Truck For Change event}
Last week I attended the Diesel Food Truck For Change launch at the Diesel store location in Yorkville (see pictures from it here), where I had the pleasure of interviewing Joey Adler, President and CEO of Diesel Canada Inc. and Founder of the ONEXONE Foundation. When I was asked if I wanted to interview Joey, I could not pass up the opportunity. She is such an inspirational woman.
Not only is she the President and CEO of Diesel Canada Inc. and founder of the ONEXONE Foundation; she is a member of the Clinton Task Force on Haiti, a founding partner of Industrial Revolution II, a board member for the Hope & Cope Wellness Centre in Montreal, founder of Lou’s House, city councillor in a Montreal (in her fourth term), the first recipient of the Laurie Normand-Starr Humanitarian Award, recipient of the I’m Philanthropic Power Award from The Foundation for Advancement of Women Now Inc., was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the John Molson School of Business, sits on the Concordia University Board of Governors, and not surprisingly named one of “Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™”.
Incredible. Do you see why I could not pass up the opportunity to interview her?
Here is my interview with Joey Adler:
Victoria: What inspired you to start the ONEXONE Foundation?
Joey: Well, it was really my husbands illness. It was a very catastrophic illness and I had the realization that there isn’t a whole lot of value for one life.
Victoria: How did you connect your husband with children? Because, though the ONEXONE foundation is for every person, it mostly targets helping children.
Joey: Yes, when I looked into it, the most likely to be at risk would be innocent children; they cannot fend for themselves. And that’s why we target ONEXONE around children.
Victoria: So when a child does not have proper food, water, healthcare, they’re at risk for so many diseases.
Joey: Yes, they’re dying. They’re dying. And here in North America, we have over 20 million children that are starving. So what does that say about us here?
Victoria: Exactly. And we’re not a third world country; so imagine what it’s like there.
Victoria: So, is this problem why you started, not only the ONEXONE Foundation, but it’s “Feeding Our Children” initiatives?
Joey: Yes. We have projects in Haiti, and we have projects in Africa; but I said “what can we do in our own backyard?” I always believe that we should do work in our own country. When I looked at what was really the problem here, I realized it was food. When a kid does not eat and they go to school, they cannot learn. And they they cannot learn, there are all sorts of social issues. When they’re hungry there are also all sorts of long term medical issues. So children that are starving is a big problem.
Victoria: Definitely. So, through the “Feeding Our Children” initiative, you work with First Nations Communities and Inner City Schools. How did that come about?
Joey: When we started our idea of providing food here, I looked at where the worst situations were in Canada; and even though the inner cities are bad, they have a lot of support. It’s when you look at our First Nations Communities, where one in three children are below poverty, you realize there is a problem. We partnered up with the Assembly of First Nations, they picked out the different communities. The reality of the situation is that in some communities, the children weren’t even graduation from high school. So if we’re in a situation where children are so hungry they cannot even learn, then what are we doing? We’re creating a spiral of poverty.
Victoria: That is so true. It’s great that you’re doing something about it.
Joey: We’re trying. We’re like a drop in the ocean; we need everyone to come together.
{Diesel Food Truck for Change – Crookies to Support ONEXONE!}
Victoria: Yes, exactly. This Diesel Food Truck is a great way to involve everyone! The food truck is such an amazing and interesting concept, and it goes along so well with your hunger initiative. How was the food truck idea born?
Joey: [laughs] That was my marketing team! Every year at Toronto International Film Festival, my marketing team does something for ONEXONE. They always have the most creative ideas. They came up with the food truck because they thought “get people to come, then they get Crookies for free, and then it is their choice whether or not they want to give a donation.” At the end of the day, we have to look at all the abundance. It only costs us one dollar to feed a child breakfast.
{My Crookie from the Diesel Food Truck For Change! IT WAS DELICIOUS!!}
Victoria: Oh wow. That’s nothing. And who doesn’t have one dollar? Most people do.
Joey: Right. It’s not a a lot, one dollar, to give a kid a wholesome breakfast. So we should give up something. Give up a drink at a bar. How much does a drink cost these days, $10?
Victoria: Oh ya, sometimes $16 – $17.
Joey: Right, so even if we average it at $10, we’re talking about feeding 10 people breakfast!
Victoria: That’s breakfast for a lot of people! This point basically answers my next question. So many people have the urge to help others, but they don’t know where to start. How can they start helping others through the ONEXONE Foundation?
Joey: They can start by going to the website, and donate (donate now here!!) to the breakfast program. And if you want, there’s a team page where you can start your own team (start one now here!!). We have a young man who climbed a major mountain in Yosemite National. He’s thirteen years old and he does it ever year, raising thousands of dollars for us!
Victoria: Oh wow! Good for him!
Joey: You’ll see his picture, he’s up on the mountain. So, create a team and decide to give up something. One coffee a week, ten people is fifty dollars. That’s fifty breakfasts.
Victoria: That’s amazing. Yes, I think a lot of people need to be aware of how easy it is to help. One dollar for breakfast. Wow. And I was looking on the ONEXONE website and it said it only costs $25 dollars to give one child water for life. For most of us, that’s nothing. For most of us, we go shopping and spend more than that.
Joey: It’s about getting people to focus on just doing it. They want to. People have good intentions. Just take five minutes. Go on the website and make a monthly donation. That’s it. We have a $20 a month will feed a kid breakfast for a month plan; that’s not a big deal.
Victoria: You’re right, it’s not a big deal. I actually didn’t know about ONEXONE until I was sent the invite to this Diesel Food Truck For Change event; so I looked up the foundation online and was amazed.
Joey: That’s really nice of you Victoria. Thank you; that means a lot to me.
Victoria: Thank you!
“ONEXONE Foundation in 2005 in memory of Lou who passed away after a long illness. The Foundation’s philosophy is that every single life is precious and that individuals can make profound changes in the lives of others, one by one. ONEXONE’s mission is to improve the lives of children in Canada, the US, and around the world with programs dedicated to the fundamental pillars: water, health, education, play, and food.” – www.onexone.org
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