Today we’d like to introduce you to Peytyn Tobin. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Peytyn Tobin, Associate Pastor @ New Horizon and Executive Director/ Board Chair of Nourishing Lives Inc. She has a passion for igniting a spark in young leaders that inspires love of others and passion to create positive change in our world.
“I want young leaders to know that they have greatness within them. The way they treat themselves and others makes a difference in who they become. Each person was created to be amazing, and each has the ability to impact the world for the better.”
Pastor Peytyn was recognized in 2018 by Hands on Broward with the Youth Changemaker Award for impacting the lives of Youth; and she was featured by NBC’s Shelly Muniz as the first “Fierce Female Friday” segment for her work through Nourishing Lives’ Pack-A-Sack program, 2020 Citizen of the Year by Broward County Schools Social Workers Association, and 2022 Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Mother of the Year. Pastor Peytyn currently is an Associate Pastor at New Horizon United Methodist Church and is active in leading community partnerships through the Non-profit Nourishing Lives, Inc. and working with volunteers and the community to “feed Kids” and families.
Nourishing Lives Inc. is an initiative “Nurturing Each Child in Body, Mind & Spirit” simply we feed children. Nourishing lives began as a youth-led community outreach program with a mission to create pathways to feed over 75,000 under-privileged children in south Florida public schools. We are currently feeding children and families in our community and connecting individuals and organizations with a heart to serve children in Broward County. While the kids eat school breakfasts and lunches, they often don’t have enough to eat on the weekends and may go hungry during holidays and summers. And when kids are hungry, they cannot concentrate, focus or learn. Their first program, Pack-A-Sack, began in 2009 feeding 10 children in one school.
Today, they have partnerships in over 13 schools with over 100 volunteers feeding 308 children each week in Broward County and 150-200 families. Recently, awarded a grant as part of the Promised Neighborhood Grant with Broward College. We are constantly looking for new and different ways to share love and hope with families. Our Covid experience has developed a community with many families and in that we are growing the buds of a new kind of connection for church –connecting our families in community and creating ministry 360 degrees –our volunteers, our families, and our community all connect to serve each other and the community. Our culture is one of acceptance and love, always sharing the love of Christ and inviting a conversation… We are all serving and we are all connecting, feeding families, and sharing our stories.
Education & Background:
Peytyn Tobin is an Associate Pastor at New Horizon United Methodist Church & Executive Director Nourishing Lives Inc.
She has taught and trained in leadership since 2004
B.S. in Economics from the University of Tennessee (1992)
MA of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary (2015)
Active in youth and children’s ministry since 2003
Media Links and other articles:
Asbury Voices https://asburyseminary.edu/voices/peytyn-tobin/
NBC News Report: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Fierce-Female-in-Broward-County-Help-Feed-Thousands-of-Children-484272861.html?_osource=mobileshareb;
Florida UMC Conference Stories: https://www.flumc.org/localchurchnewsdetail/new-horizon-pastor-honored-for-work-to-curb-child-hunger-11588316
Florida United Methodist Foundation: https://www.fumf.org/news/ministry-expands-mission-to-feed-read-and-lead/
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our biggest obstacles include creating a model that is sustainable and involves networking with those in our community with a heart for filling a need in our community. We grow because the needs of our community grow, and we succeed when we are no longer needed. We survive on supporting others in every way we can but we also have to build a sustainable system that can be copied. It’s odd that our business model is one that we hope many steal, copy, and duplicate. The best ways we can grow and create an impactful difference is to share freely what we learn in our efforts. Practically space to serve our community is always a challenge.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My passion is in leadership and impacting the world for positive change. We practice and involve others in service by Nourishing the lives of families in our community. I am a non-profit leader that strives to inspire others to connect in community and create a positive change in our community. We feed kids —-Nourishing Lives is an organization that is focused on Nourishing the loves of those in our community in every way we can. We keep our main thing children and impacting the whole lives of families.
What does success mean to you?
I believe all we do should be done in love. Success is seeing a living / loving network of community supporting children’s families in need because that what it looks like to love our neighbors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nourishinglivesfl.com/
- Instagram: Nourishinglivesfl
- Facebook: Https://www.facebook.com/PackaSack
