How International Support for the Impacted Got Its Start

The Huebner teens were in the midst of a gap year abroad of service, culture, and research when the pandemic quarantine resulted in the premature end of their gap year. During their time abroad, they were immersed in the fascinating cultures of other countries while meeting and forming bonds with many local people along the way. Their favorite countries included the smaller and lesser developed countries such as Cambodia, Nepal, Ecuador, Peru, Myanmar, and Colombia.

In March 2020, COVID-19 changed the world overnight. When the pandemic hit, they reached out to individuals they met on their journey to see if they were safe. Responses were quite similar — while individuals were safe from the virus, the sudden stop of global tourism devastated their livelihoods and economic stability. With the lack of a safety net, most of their new friends were extremely worried about how they were going to feed their families without the opportunity to work for an extended period of time.

Moved by witnessing the plight of food insecurity firsthand, the teens rallied to figure out a way they could help in a meaningful way, and the seeds of ISI were planted. ISI is a non-profit organization originally dedicated to helping families and individuals devastated by COVID-19 with direct food aid grants to cover 1 to 2 months of emergency food aid. During the year of quarantine and lockdown, the teens worked hard to make this vision a reality.

As the impact of the pandemic lessened and tourism returned, the teens expanded ISI’s mission to include people in developing countries who were impacted by any crisis situation, including natural disasters, war, government disruption, and political or civil unrest.

Food insecurity is a challenge across the world that is magnified in times of crisis, and these teens are doing all they can to address it.

ISI Logo by Ashley, age 17