While most would ask for a cake or a party, local resident Janay Roberson is inviting all of Chattanooga to help her celebrate her birthday this weekend by giving the gift of service.
On July 22, the soon-to-be 29-year-old will host the city's first Hashtag Lunchbag initiative at Olivet Baptist Church Kingdom Center in an effort to feed the homeless on the day after her birthday.
Hashtag Lunchbag is a humanity service movement that started in Los Angeles five years ago and spread through social media. The initiative encourages volunteers across the world to group up, pack bagged lunches, add a handwritten note of encouragement and pass the meals out to those in need.
"I wanted to do something to get everybody involved, no matter what race, no matter what ethnicity or religion, so I thought this would be the best way," Roberson said.
Roberson is hoping to get at least 50 people to help fill the bags with sandwiches, cookies and loving mementos. Her goal is to pack 150 lunches, then head out with whomever is willing to distribute the bags and fellowship with men and women in downtown Chattanooga.
"My whole thing is to get people involved because Chattanooga has gotten on the map for mostly violence [and] I try my best to be a light," she said.
This isn't the first time Roberson has dedicated her birthday to service.
In 2014, the then-new Chattanooga resident made headlines when she performed random acts of kindness throughout the city on the 26 days leading up to her 26th birthday. She left prepaid gift cards for patrons on gas pumps, passed out sack lunches to hungry residents at Miller Plaza and left encouraging notes throughout the city.
"It just makes me happy to be able to serve somebody outside of myself on my birthday," Roberson said.
Janay Roberson (right) often performs random acts of kindness, like bringing doughnuts to firefighters and police officers. (Contributed photos)Every year since, Roberson has continued the tradition of service. Last year, more than 40 people across the U.S., whom she is connected to on social media, joined her by performing their own random acts of kindness and sharing them with her.
"That just goes to show that there are still strangers in the world who are loving and kind," she said.
This year, Roberson chose to focus her birthday mission on homelessness, which she said has left the biggest impression on her heart of all her projects.
"I never forget those faces, I never forget how grateful those people are because we take those things for granted," said Roberson.
She hopes to make the service a monthly installment, combining Hashtag Lunchbag and her own volunteer-based organization Love Made Me Do It, which focuses on random acts of kindness. Monthly volunteers would continue to pack bags, but would also hand out coats, socks and other toiletries in the winter, she said.
"[I want to] let [the homeless] know ultimately that they have not been forgotten about," Roberson explained. "Just because their situation looks a little bit different than ours doesn't make them less of a person."
Saturday's service event will begin at 10 a.m. and end at noon, when the group leaves to pass out the bags. A donation of $10 is suggested to help with food costs, but there is no sign-up required to participate. Those interested in giving monetary contributions can email Roberson at hashtaglunchbagchatt@ gmail.com.