Our first event as a registered nonprofit.

By July 2025, H3x had over a year of grassroots work behind us — the founding event in Chicago in April 2024, the OSL kitchen shift in Seattle that summer, satellite events across Dallas–Fort Worth, the sustained outreach in India. Boston wasn't the start. Boston was where we carried that work into formal nonprofit status.

It was our first official event as a registered 501(c)(3) — same crew, same hands-on ethos, new legal scaffolding underneath. We partnered with Miracle Mile Ministries, a Boston organization with deep roots in their community and a track record of consistent service. They knew the neighborhood. We brought the volunteers, the funds, and the willingness to do whatever needed doing.

The Weekend

• Friday, July 11 (5–7 pm EST): Flyer distribution throughout the neighborhood — building local awareness and inviting the community to Saturday's lunch service.
• Saturday, July 12 (10:30 am–2 pm EST): Food prep, baking, and direct lunch handouts. The full hands-on shift that defines what we do.

Volunteer Swag — Designed By the Community

For Boston, we wanted the volunteer shirts to feel like they belonged to everyone, not just the org. So we ran a custom T-shirt design contest on Hashpack — community members submitted designs, the community voted, and the winning design became the official Boston event swag.

It's a small detail, but it captures the H3x approach: even the merch is community-driven. There's no "official brand team" upstairs deciding what the volunteers wear. There's the community, and they decided.

Why Boston Mattered

This event proved we could carry our hands-on ethos into the formal nonprofit structure without losing what made the work feel real. The 501(c)(3) status opened doors — formal partnerships, tax-deductible donations, broader credibility — but the work on the ground that weekend was indistinguishable from Chicago in 2024.

Same crew showing up. Same direct service. Same belief that help shouldn't wait. The paperwork changed; the work didn't.