Our Story

The non-profit organization was founded by Hanh Nguyen in August 2026.

Growing up in Vietnam after the American-Vietnam War ended, Hanh witnessed poverty all around her: small children selling lottery tickets on the streets, beggars, trash pickers, and many elderly people doing hard physical labor well into their old age. Without a significant social welfare system, people had little support and often had to struggle from day to day.

After coming to America, Hanh was shocked by a very different reality—a world of wealth, abundance, and opportunities. She understood that she was very blessed to have the opportunity to live and work in this rich land. Deep inside, she had a desire to serve others who were not as fortunate.

In 2023, she decided to leave her successful research career to focus on serving others. She began working at the Boulder All Roads Shelter for the Homeless in various capacities. There, she had the opportunity to learn more about charitable work, interact with residents, and gain a deeper understanding of the personal struggles behind each person's story.

She learned that people experiencing homelessness all have their own stories, strengths, challenges, and hopes. They deserve compassion, patience, dignity, and support as they navigate trauma, hardship, and circumstances that can make finding stable housing incredibly difficult. Yet, they are often treated with disrespect, stigma, and contempt. For some people, the stress and trauma of homelessness can contribute to substance use as a way of coping or finding temporary relief. Unfortunately, this can also expose them to further judgment and discrimination. Hanh hopes that people who are housed will take the time to get to know their unhoused neighbors and see them as individuals rather than stereotypes. A smile, a nod, an acknowledgment, or a snack can make someone's day. Small acts of kindness and human connection can help someone feel seen, valued, and less alone. They can remind a person that they matter, that they are cared for, and that there is still hope.

Through her work experiences and interactions with various charitable organizations, Hanh realized that while established organizations are doing phenomenal work to help vulnerable populations in Boulder, there is still a large population that remains unserved due to capacity and service limitations. Since the summer of 2025, Hanh and her friend Matthew Jaramillo have been regularly distributing items to unhoused people in Boulder. Through this work, they also noticed another issue. Because of the large student population in Boulder, a significant amount of waste is generated—clothes, bags, hygiene items, and other things that are still perfectly usable but are often thrown away.

Seeing an opportunity to address these two interconnected issues—material hardship and unnecessary waste—Hanh and Matthew realized that a local, community-based reuse system could help connect resources with people who need them. In August 2026, the Foundation was formally established as a legal entity to redistribute resources, reduce waste, and help those in need. The Foundation was named after the ancient word "Na Rahn," used in meditation to evoke the deeper Knowledge within each person (newmessage.org/the-still-mind). 

There are other organizations doing important work to provide resources and services to vulnerable members of our community. However, there are still gaps. Some resources may require people to pay for the items or may be located in places that are difficult to reach for those without reliable transportation. At the same time, the problem of perfectly usable goods being discarded remains largely unaddressed.

The Foundation hopes to help fill these gaps by creating a simple, accessible system for sharing what our community already has. We will (1) solicit in-kind donations from local residents, students, schools, and community organizations while educating the community about waste reduction and opportunities for reuse; (2) collect, sort, and prepare gently used clothing, footwear, technology items, hygiene products, and other essential goods for free distribution to unhoused community members and others experiencing financial hardship; and (3) collaborate with charitable organizations and community partners to distribute excess items to people who need them.

In this way, we hope to create a cycle of sharing within our community: items that are no longer needed by one person can become valuable resources for another, rather than ending up in a landfill. By extending the useful life of products already in our community, we can help reduce waste while also making essential goods more accessible to people experiencing hardship.

As the Foundation grows and secures sufficient financial resources, we also intend to provide grants to qualified charitable organizations whose work furthers our charitable purposes and benefits individuals, families, and communities experiencing material hardship.

Our motto is “Sharing for a more compassionate world." Whether it is a piece of clothing, a snack or something else that can make someone’s life a little easier, the Foundation aims to reduce waste, share resources, reduce suffering, and help create a better world for the future.

No matter how difficult the situation looks, together we can make a difference. That is our belief.

Please join us on this mission.