Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Nealon.
The Happy Bean Project began in 2019 when the Founder, Shannon Nealon was in the United States Marine Corps. Prior to joining the Military, Shannon worked as a barista and fell in love with the impact coffee can make. She loved how happy the customers were every time they drove through. Suffering with mental illness herself, she knows how hard life can sometimes be. She quickly realized that something as small as a cup of coffee can make someone’s day better because of the relationships and connections that develop while drinking coffee. In 2017, Shannon joined the Marine Corps as 0811 Artillery Marines. Shannon was in the first group of females to be assigned a 0811 Artillery Cannoneer Billet. She later became the first female in history to pass Section Chiefs Course. During his time in the Military, Shannon realized the need to help people with mental health issues both within the military and the civilian population.
In October 2019, Shannon started selling The Happy Bean Project coffee bags online and donating some of the funds to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Quickly The Happy Bean Project took off and Shannon wanted to get more hands-on. In December 2019, alongside a team of volunteers, they started serving coffee at homeless shelters and the streets in North Carolina.
Due to Shannon’s strong social media following from her success as a female artillery Marine the word about The Happy Bean Project coffee outreach events quickly spread. People from all over the United States and even Canada wanted to get involved. The Project started growing and people would volunteer to be a “lead” for their city. Once a lead had enough funds raised and a group of 2-3 volunteers to help The Happy Bean Project would ship them all the coffee supplies needed to host an outreach event in their area of need.
The Happy Bean Project was funded and running events in Raleigh, North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, Santa Ana California, Seattle, Washington, and Philadelphia Pennsylvania. The project was also prepared to launch outreach events in Denver, Canada, and New York.
In March 2020, Covid-19 shook everything, and the project had to scale back for the protection of both the volunteers and the people in need they were serving. As the world adjusts and adapts to living in a pandemic, so is The Happy Bean Project. Shannon is now out of the Military and moved to Lake Jackson, Texas to run and operate The Happy Bean Project. She has had to restructure the Project quite a bit and are focusing all funding and outreach efforts in the state of Texas. Currently, the project has a funding trailer located in Lake Jackson, Texas. This funding trailer serves as a constant source of funding for the free outreach events in Harris County Houston. Each week the funding trailer runs as a specialty coffee trailer. Each coffee bought is a donation to the project.
These donations fund the project where the founders and the project volunteers host FREE coffee events for those living on the streets in Harris County. The funding trailer also does a lot of community events in Brazoria county. Spreading awareness about mental health. During these community events, relationships are formed, and a lot of people get involved with the project by volunteering or donating clothing and food for the outreach events. This restructures turned out to be a huge blessing for outreach efforts as we are able to focus on developing deeper relationships and now have a more impactful vision. A vision for a completely free location where people in need can gather, whether it be to just grab a cup of coffee or to utilize the many services, we will offer.
These services include but are not limited to: Coffee shop that will have free coffee and healthy food and drink options. Access to a network of physical and mental health resources in the area. Professional help finding and applying jobs, housing, grants and more. Regular group therapy sessions led by specialists. Computer access to apply for resources that are already available such as food stamps, shelters, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, therapy, bus passes, and more. Library and safe place to read. Life coaching. Showers and hair cuts. Laundry. Garden.
This physical location will act as a safe space for veterans to find assistance programs they may not have heard of and get help applying. Having a brick-and-mortar location will mean they have a dependable spot to access computers and knowledgeable help.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anything worthwhile in life takes struggling a bit! That’s why I love The Happy Bean Project so much. It’s extremely difficult and time-consuming. However, when you see the people that we serve faces light up with joy for coffee and clothing, it makes it all worth it. We have really bonded with the people we help, and also we have a great group of volunteers. The amount of hours spent behind the scenes to organize the donations and plan the events can be overwhelming at times. Yet, our project is blessed to have a great support system of people who step up to help others.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am fresh out of the Marine Corps, where I served as one of the first female artillery cannoneer. During my time in the Military, I started a nonprofit called The Happy Bean Project, which is now my full-time life calling.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Never give up. Each problem is an obstacle to overcome. Surround yourself with people who know more than you and treat them well. Love others and do your best to make a positive impact on this life.
Contact Info:
- Email: Thehappybeanproject@gmail.com
- Website: www.thehappybeanproject.com
- Instagram: @thehappybean.project
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/happybeanproject/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC–wPnMr-dXPSqDwttHnYeQ
Image Credits
Brittaney Pate is our projects VS President and our photographer! She has a huge heart for helping others and has done so much for The Happy Bean Project.
