Rachel von Niederhausern and Adam Whitney

[00:04] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Hi, my name is Rachel Von Niederhausern. I am 43 years old. Today's date is April 30, 2023, and I am in Tooele, Utah. I am speaking with my brother, Adam Whitney, who's in Logan, Utah, and he's my co. Founder of Loaves and Fishes and my fellow. Fellow partner in humanitarian endeavors and my brother. So I'm so grateful to be here with him today. How's it going, Adam?

[00:32] ADAM WHITNEY: Good. All right, Joel, it's good to, good to talk to you today. It's nice to have some, some time to talk one on one. We don't, we don't get this very often with all the, all the things happening in both of our lives, maybe more so yours, but you've got, you've got more kids than me, so more.

[00:53] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Craziness, the baby rodeo, like you said.

[00:58] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah.

[00:59] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Yeah. Well, I am so grateful too, that we get this chance. Like you said, we don't get to chat very often, just one on one. So I'm excited to talk today about Loaves and Fishes and. Yeah, just some of our background and stuff. It's. It's nice to sit down and do it. So tell me a little bit about what you're like as a child and can reminisce for a minute. I can tell some memories of you. Of course. You can tell some funny memories of me.

[01:27] ADAM WHITNEY: Sure. Yeah. I'll just do my intro quick. You're cutting out just a little bit. I think when you were, you were giving your intro and maybe the part where you were saying my name. So I'll just do my intro quick too. So I am Adam Whitney. I live in Logan, Utah and I am 441 years old. And yeah, Rachel is my, my sister. So. Yeah. Yeah. Memories of our childhood. Yeah, we, we had a good childhood. There were, there were a lot of us as kid, a lot of us kids, eight siblings. I was, I was one, one of two brothers with six sisters. So a lot of, a lot of, a lot of female energy.

[02:23] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Right. That's why you have this, this heart for others because you grow up with so many mothers.

[02:30] ADAM WHITNEY: Exactly. Yeah. Sorry, I forgot the question. What's the question? Was what were you like as a kid or just general memories together.

[02:44] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Yeah. What we did together or what you were like as a kid. I remember you were, you loved school, you're very studious and you loved soccer and. Yeah. Hanging out with friends, of course, like we all do when we're young. And you always, but you always did have a way, you're always very kind and always looking out for others. I do remember that always.

[03:11] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah. For memories of you. I remember you being very social, having lots of friends, lots of things going on, being athletic. I remember you told me not to say this, but I remember you were the star of the soccer team in high school.

[03:31] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Oh, the Bench Worm. The Bench Warmer star. Definitely not.

[03:40] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah. And. Yeah, I just remember. Yeah, I remember you, you know, also being very studious, doing well in school, and. Yeah. Being very close with your twin, including being so close that you were often trying to wear the same outfit, which led to some. Maybe some brawls over outfits.

[04:16] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Yeah, definitely. I'd always have this outfit in my mind I wanted to wear, and I'd go to get it and she'd have the exact same outfit picked out. You know, not like twins alike or anything. So were there some experiences from our family, kind of. Or examples of our parents that you can remember related to service or. We just. We came from such a family that served a lot. Our parents were such good examples of that. So do you remember any of those things that our parents did to help others?

[04:56] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, yeah. As you mentioned, our family was. Our parents were very, very generous and always helping people in the community. And then also more. Even with more organized, like, donation kinds of efforts. A couple of specific memories that I. That I have our. Of dad putting together a bunch of tool sets that he was. I forget exactly, you know, who they were, where they were going. But. But there was this drive to collect tools to send to. I think. I think maybe people in. Maybe in like, Central or South America that. That needed tools to I think, even, like, start their own businesses. And dad put together a bunch of tool sets and was, you know, was donating them. And he'd always get us involved in those kinds of things. I think, you know, I think it stood out to me or, you know, had an impact on me because, you know, we didn't have, you know, a lot of. A lot of money ourselves. And so, you know, dad being generous with what we did have and giving in those ways, you know, was really meaningful for me and. Yeah. How about you?

[06:21] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Yeah, I'm like you. I was really impacted, I think, by the example that our parents gave to us of really selfless service. Like you said, we always saw them giving to other people and helping families out in different ways. I remember this one family in our neighborhood, their parents were sick or going through a really hard time, and so they needed somewhere for their children to go after school and to kind of have, you know, a safe place to be. And so I remember our parents let those kids come over and they'd, you know, they'd work with them and they'd have activities for them to do and feed them and everything. And it wasn't just like they did it one day. I think they did it many, many days for over a year or two of time. And so that's just how our parents. That's how our parents were and that's how we grew up, you know, them in helping and not just. Not just doing it to check a box or anything, but to really. Because they really care. Because they really care about people. So they'd always be inviting people over to our house, helping the neighbors, you know, with food or helping take care of their kids, like you said, you know, donating things. I remember actually we'd always, you know, do those boxes at Christmas too, and doorbell ditch people. So we fill boxes with food and stuff and then. Then go choose someone, a family and bring the doorbell and run. That was fun.

[07:51] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah. Yeah. And you're. I know your family does a lot of that, you know, a lot of those kinds of things now. And you've been. You've been, you know, kind of doing that for, I mean, for as long as I can remember, bringing people home for family dinner and. And kind of adopting people into our family. And, you know, I think you've done a lot of that. You've kind of. Yeah, let led a lot of that, I guess. So do you think that was. Do you think that was something that was just sort of inherent in you, or do you think that that came from kind of seeing our parents do it?

[08:34] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: I think it came really from our family environment because we came from that open, loving place and it didn't matter, you know, if you had a lot or a little. There was always a way that you could help someone else in need. So, I mean, I think we all come with certain, you know, things that we're more aware of. So I feel like I, you know, I would notice people growing up, people who are lonely or things like that, but I think growing up in our family with our parents example really helped foster that even more in me. And yeah, living in Logan and going to Utah State where there's a lot of people who are away from home and who might be. Have lived internationally, you know, but then traveling to Utah State for school, it just kind of kept that going and I think was like our family modeling it and then experiencing that. Utah State where I then started to see lots of people who might need to. Need a place to go over the holidays or who might not have their family around, really started, you know, working in my heart just like yours, and kind of was the beginning of this Loaves and Fishes vision, you know. Yeah. And I think being in our home, one, experiencing this amazing family dynamic that we had, even though we had our hard times, of course our family had ups and downs, just like every family does. Every family does. But our parents, you know, stuck it through and gave us, like, the best life they could and were such an example of service. And so I just really had this desire for other people to feel that love and that family, feeling like they belong to a family. So. Yeah. How about you? You're the same. You've always had this kind, generous heart. So when did the kind of Loaves and Fishes ideas start for you? Or what was the impetus?

[10:36] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, yeah, I think you did a really good job talking about, you know, sharing about our family and how that. How that example of being able to find some way to give and help even, you know, when there are needs in your own life, you know, and. Or in your own family, I think is, you know, really. That was really beautiful how you shared that. And yes, I think similar having that kind of foundation and then. And then, you know, serving a mission in Guatemala and seeing. Seeing a lot of need there. I think that had a big impact on me of, you know, just being able to. Yeah. Just see how much, you know, how much need there is in the world in general. And then. And then, yeah, talking about some of those ideas with you and how, you know, how we could get involved with a nonprofit or potentially start one. I did not actually envision Loves and Fishes as it is today, but was, at least for me, I was really initially looking for some place to, you know, to serve and contribute around Christmas time and maybe even on Christmas Day itself. And so that was kind of the beginning of it for me. And then, yeah, we can talk about how it's kind of grown into what it is today, but just that desire to serve and to also give other people an opportunity to serve, because I think especially around Christmas time, a lot of people want to serve. And there are not always a lot of opportunities to do that, I think in the way that people kind of want to, like, really giving a lot of time around that season as, you know, if it's something that you're not doing regularly, it's hard to have something where people can just come in for like a day or two around Christmas and really, you know, do something meaningful. So that was. Yeah, that's kind of how it started for me. Yeah. What about you? We started initially as Global Neighbor. And so then how did it, you know, how did. How did it go from Global Neighbor to what it is today as Loves and Fishes?

[13:20] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Global Neighbor? That was a gift that you gave me, actually, that birthday, I think, 2009, the paperwork and everything set this nonprofit called Global Neighbor. And I was so touched and so surprised. It was so unexpected that that gift. I mean, I wasn't thinking that anyone was doing that. But, you know, you and I had kind of been talking about doing a humanitarian trip or trying to find. Find ways to help people in need. And so, yeah, you doing that research and giving me that gift that year, that really set me very firmly on the path to do humanitarian work. Even though, I mean, we didn't know what we were doing or anything. You know, just more of a. More of a desire at that point. But that really, I think, helped solidify it. And I was so touched. I will always be so touched. Thinking back about that day, just how I think I definitely was crying and. Yeah, just so touched. So. So then from there, then we went on a humanitarian trip to Guatemala and experienced that together. And then we had that idea to do a Christmas meal, like you said, because we didn't really know of another meal that was going on at Christmas time in Cache Valley. So I remember going to talk with Cash, Community Connections, and that's where I first met Paul Hines and Kathy Chutaba and some of these people that have served for so long with loaves and fishes and just been the. In the backbone and the spine and the heart of it. So from there, Paul agreed to let us do it at Christmas meal at his church, at the First Presbyterian Church, and use our community kitchen. So it was amazing how when we first started that first time, we had, we thought the need was going to be to be giving food to people in need and of course, in gathering people to feel like a family dynamic at Christmas, to feel loved and to fill this nourishment, you know, for their body and their spirit, their heart. But then that first Christmas, we had, I think, over 200 volunteers who said they wanted to come serve. And we maybe had, you know, 20 people who came to actually eat the food. But I think it just shows one of the other great needs that is in the whole world that people want a chance to serve. And so providing those ways and those avenues for them to fill that need, it's really important. So that was fun. That was fun to see. And then from there, Paul said, yeah, we should try to do this more frequently because there's definitely a need in the community, a need to provide ways for people to give back and to serve. And then there's people in the community who do need meals and to fill that nourishment of body and soul and spirit. So we went from there. And then it's just by God's grace, by God's sheer grace, you know, that he brought the people who have served for some of them over a decade. Those people like Kathy Chudaba and Lisa Hancock, who started out first being the meal coordinator, and Michelle Welch and Amy Anderson. Paul Hines, of course, was there. And then Derek Forbes came soon after as the First Presbyterian pastor. And then, yeah, all these different communities who joined together. Richard west has helped us so much, get grants from the Bishop Storehouse, LDS Bishop Storehouse, and Matt Whitaker at the food pantry. All of the people like that just, you know, coming forward and saying, we'll help and we'll. Whatever you need, you know, we will try to try to be there and give. And so it's just been amazing to see how many variety and diversity of groups who have come together to make it possible. So. Yeah. What do you remember about the first meal or those first days?

[17:26] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, that was a lot of fun, and we didn't really know what we were doing. We had so many volunteers and probably way more volunteers than people who actually came to eat. So it was. It was an interesting experience. But I was gonna. I was gonna say in response to, you know, you sharing about just all the amazing people that have come, you know, come forward and join together to make it. Make it what it is now, just how. Yeah, that is, I think the part about, you know, loaves and fishes that I really, really enjoy the most or just, you know, never, never ceases to amaze me. It's just how many, you know, amazing people there are from all different backgrounds. And. And, you know, I mean, a lot of. I think a lot of, you know, people have come forward from a lot of different groups and backgrounds and seeing how generous and how, you know, how everyone wants to just help and. And pull together to serve and do something kind and helpful for the community is something that is always amazing to see. And yeah, on that first. For that first meal, yeah, it was kind of crazy. We knew we had a ton of volunteers. We didn't know how many people were going to come to actually eat. And we just could see that there was this need that people Wanted a place to serve. And so we just said, okay, come and. Come and serve. And we don't know if we're gonna have anybody to serve, but go ahead and come. And then, you know, some people came, and I think we mostly ended up feeding the volunteers. But it was amazing because it then, you know, was the first step into then growing into what it is today, where we serve 200 plus people every, you know, every meal. So even though it wasn't perfect the first time, I think just taking that first step and then going from there was what allowed it to start and grow into what it is now, the relationship.

[19:51] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Go ahead.

[19:51] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, you mentioned.

[19:57] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Just real quick.

[19:57] ADAM WHITNEY: Sorry, go ahead.

[19:59] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: The relationships between the. The people who come to help cook the meal and stuff, and then the regular people who come to eat is so beautiful to see, too. I've loved seeing that grow over these years. People like Bruce, you know, who. Who have just been, like, become a part of this family, you know, by eating and now serving, and he helps so much with setup and everything. And then there's been some other regulars like this veteran named Gary who came, you know, year after year and a lot of different people. But just the relationships and the friendships that have been built now between, you know, people who are serving and people who are eating, and then the different groups and the different organizations in the valley. It's really been beautiful to witness that.

[20:44] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, yeah, for sure. You mentioned that you. That you, you know, saw this. This need for people to, you know, to want to come and serve, and you think that that is a need that people have is, you know, this connection and serving, which is a little bit different than how we often think about need, right? Of needing. Needing food, needing shelter, needing more material things. So, yeah. What do you think? What do you think drives that or, you know, where does that need to serve come from? What is. What is that fulfilling?

[21:33] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: I think. I think it fulfills a place in people's hearts that can only be actually fulfilled in that way of giving back to someone. So, of course, you give back in so many different ways. You know, in a family, you give back, you know, to children or, you know, to brothers and sisters, parents, to extended family. And then you try to give back to your neighbors and in your community. But I think without it, I think people just feel a little bit empty, because if you're just working and doing your stuff and in more of a closed, closed circle, you never really get that fulfillment and that joy that comes when you just reach out and then you expand Your circle of family. And I think that's. I think that's what it fulfills, actually. I think it just fulfills that need for connection. Because we're all easy, especially in our culture, to just. In our abundant culture, it's easy to just abundance and like using the abundance for more entertainment or for more relaxing or more things like that, which is, you know, of course we need those things to a certain extent, but I think even more we need the ability to give back and to see people who, who might not have, you know, all the comforts of life or the things that they might want or need and then having the ability to serve them and to give back. So, yeah, I think it fulfills the need for connection, which in our culture, of course, you know, where everyone is just yearning, yearning for that and an in person connection, just like me handing a plate of food to someone else or giving a hug or, or singing together or, you know, just doing things in person with people in your immediate community. It's so powerful.

[23:37] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, I've been, I've been, you know, just seeing a lot in the news lately, especially about kind of a pandemic of like loneliness, you know, and yeah, I think Loaves and Fishes is built, you know, to kind of address that both from the perspective of being able to, you know, to serve the people who are able to serve and then also from the people who, you know, might need a meal and can come and have a family to enjoy that with and whether that's because they actually need the meal or because they just need a family to enjoy it with. So I think the. And in general, yeah, the ability to serve. Yeah, it does just, it does just meet this need. But we have and might not even necessarily know we have until we do it and experience it. Right, right, right. Yeah. So for you, you are a mother of seven, right? Sometimes I lose track seven, Right. So you, mother of seven, you have. And you homeschool them, you have business endeavors you serve in Loaves and Fishes have another nonprofit that you've started or been a partner in starting. You have so many things happening in your life. And so how do you find time to serve and. Yeah, yeah, we'll just leave it there. How do you, how do you find time to serve despite all the other, you know, things happening in your life?

[25:24] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: That's such a good question. I think it's the one, you know, a lot of, A lot of us are asking ourselves and trying to figure out, I think definitely making it into a family, a family affair. So trying to Bring my kids along as much as I can and include them. That's been really, really beautiful for our family to serve together. I think it just comes down to priorities, you know, and there's times and seasons, times and seasons for different things and different activities. So of course, you know, sometimes I can't serve in these different organizations or capacities as much as I want, but I'm just always, I guess service is one of my top priorities because I just know, like, service really has helped me in my personal life so many ways. Fulfilling that need for connection and joy and getting outside of myself and some, you know, demons in my own head that, you know, try to take me down. And service is one of the best medicines for me to combat it and, and to, yeah, just to fill that, fill that connection and feel like I'm like, life is worth living. I guess so. But yeah, I think you have to time manage. I mean, probably like everyone time blocking. I love the concept of just like blocking out time. And I'm a big planner, so I plan things in. And if you don't, you know, you have to be consciously creating your life. And so service is a really important thing to me. I consciously create it, you know, and consciously try to put it in and make time for it. And I have to give up and sacrifice other things for sure. So how about you?

[27:21] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah, it's. Yeah, it can definitely be tricky to find that time and. And, but yeah, I think like you said, it requires the sacrifice of some things and then. And then also, you know, of just that sacrifice of time and then. And then, yeah, trying to find ways to involve family and hope that. Yeah. That it has an impact on them and you know, helps. Helps turn them into or, or helps them continue, hopefully not turn them into but hopefully continue on the, on their journey toward being decent humans. So just have to hope that, that it has that effect. Have you, you know, have you. What effect have you seen have on your kids? You've, you know, you've taken your kids to, to remote areas of third world countries on, you know, on humanitarian trips. What, what effect have you seen it have on their lives?

[28:27] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: I've seen it have a really big effect on my children and on myself as well. You know, your perspective just gives you a new perspective and it gives you a lot of gratitude for what you have. And you know, I've seen my kids just be grateful for the little things because they've been in places and experienced where there aren't those are those opportunities or those things like carpet or air conditioning. Or, you know, running toilets and when you have to use an outhouse and you get bitten by ants all over the place. And it's really painful in that moment. You're really grateful when you come home, no matter what your bathroom looks like, you know. And, yeah, so I just. And plus, it's like how, I think, help them build a lot of connections, like a lot of diverse connections with people of all ages of many different backgrounds and cultures. And so I hope, I hope. I hope it's something that they cherish. And when you grow up doing it, you might take it for granted a little. But I've heard my kids say that they are grateful, so I hope it's positive for them. There's hard things, definitely, that go with it. Like that some painful moments, you know, when you realize you're so far from home and you have to take a cold shower and you're thinking the shower is going to be like your one comfort. And then it hits you and it's cold and you're just, you know, a young child and you're crying for a long time after that because you really distressed. But it's doing those hard things that out of our comfort zone and making those connections. So it helps us connect to ourselves, to God and to others. And you definitely don't have to travel, you know, very far to do service. And I just love the quote by Mother Teresa where she said, if you want to change the world, go home and love your family. And I think that is the best. The best thought about service. And so, you know, it really just starts with the people we're around in our daily life. And how do we treat them? Do we treat them with compassion and kindness and see them for who they are? It's hard. You know, that's actually the harder. The harder service is to just really treat your own immediate family as you would these other people who you're trying to gather in and serve. Because it's easier to serve people you just see, you know, for a day or a week or something. But, you know, the people who know all your weaknesses and all your ins and outs and. And who are with you through thick and thin, that's harder. So that's the true service. And if we can think of that, then that love can just spread out and then we can treat other people like that and other people. So, yeah, it's a good learning process.

[31:26] ADAM WHITNEY: Yeah. Yeah, very well said. It is harder to do it day in and day out for the people that you're around all the time. And But I think that that is one of the beauties of serving is that it, you know, it helps you, I think, to see that and to learn that and to just see the beauty in, you know, all people. And, yeah, I definitely hope that for my family that my kid, you know, that hopefully having opportunities to serve and to. To meet people from all sorts of different backgrounds and, you know, in countries, and that hopefully that helps them to feel connected to, you know, to a much broader group of people, and that can help them to, you know, to. Yeah, just feel connected and feel like they're all part of the same, you know, the same family. And hopefully that, you know, hopefully as people, you know, serve and work together, that helps to break down barriers and prevent or end, you know, a lot of the conflict and the animosity, the. That I think we also see in our world. And I think service is a very powerful medicine to address that.

[33:04] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: I agree. I totally agree. And what's beautiful about Loaves and Fishes is witnessing and seeing these diverse people from different church congregations, different businesses, different ages and stages of life come together in this way. And I think that is the magic of Loaves and Fishes. And I hope. I hope people feel that family feel there, you know, because that mission is to nourish and bring people together around a common table to nourish their body, mind, and spirit, you know, to give fellowship through food and friendship. And so, yeah, I think. I hope people have felt that. And. And I'm just so grateful that we get to work on. Work at it together and do service together. And I'm really excited to see where the path leads and what service will continue to get to do. You're such a good example to me, really. Just genuine love and kindness for others and really caring, really caring about others. So I'm so grateful to have you as my brother.

[34:11] ADAM WHITNEY: Well, that's nice of you to say. Thank you. I feel the same way. And, yeah, just so, so blessed to have you as my sister. Everywhere I go, people know you and rave about you. And, yeah, I. It's been really great talking with you about this. And, you know, I feel like we don't get to do this very often because of. Because of all the. All the things happening in our lives. But. But yeah, thanks for. Thanks for taking some time to talk today.

[34:42] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Yeah, definitely. And we just, of course, have to say thank you to all the people at Loaves and Fishes who have, you know, helped it grow and have been there day in and day out for over a decade. It's just these people are seriously angels on earth. Like true, true saints in the truest sense of the word. So thank you. Thank you to everyone.

[35:04] ADAM WHITNEY: All right. Thanks, Rachel.

[35:05] RACHEL VON NIEDERHAUSERN: Yeah. Thank you so much, Adam.