Incarcerated people at the California Men's Colony working to help those outside of the prison.
KSBY was there and spoke to some of the incarcerated people about why it was important for them to be involved.
"It was an awesome process."
Adam Ingala-Whiting has been serving time at the California Men's Colony since 2018 for second degree murder.
He organized the 2nd annual "Day of Hope" event, in honor of his brother, who died of suicide last year.
"Full of life. You can see from the smile, just full of life and I miss him dearly," said Ingala-Whiting.
He spoke to a room full of his peers about his loss, and invited guest speakers to share their experiences.
One speaker was the Executive Director of Youth Well, Rachael Steidl.
After her speech, Ingala-Whiting and the group of organizers surprised Steidl with more than $4,000 to help with her efforts to support youth struggling with thoughts of suicide.
"It is inspiring. Even looking out speaking to all of them today, and then talking to them afterwards about their passion for wanting to support each other here was incredible. Just knowing that they were motivated to give back, especially when they have so little in here," said Steidl.
The money was raised by partnering with a food truck.
Drewskies Hot Rod Kitchen put a truck in each of the 4 yards at the Men's Colony.
75% of the money earned went to "Youth Well" and the rest went to "New Life Canines" an organization that trains service animals for veterans.
The owner of Drewskies Hot Rod Kitchen tells me he and his team drove the food trucks down from Sacramento to be part of the event.
Inmates paid for the freshly cooked meal with money they’ve earned while incarcerated, and also had the option to donate without purchasing a meal.
"First time we've ever had food cooked on site. All the guys are super excited to eat this food, and it's for a good cause," said Jeremy Chiu, who is serving a life sentence with no parole.
Ingala-Whiting says he hopes this event, and the money donated will help stop others from feeling the same type of loss he and his family felt.
"My desire is that nobody else has to go through what me and my family went through in the wake of losing my brother. That's really what days like today, and going forward is all about, maybe we can spare at least 1 family from that depth of devastation," said Ingala-Whiting.
"We are just trying to bring as much awareness as we can. It's easy to lose site of your vision, and it's very taxing on a lot of people in prison," said Chris Carbajal, who is serving a 16 year to life sentence.
"All lives matter, right. There are no throw away people," said Chiu.
Everyone involved at the California Men's Colony hope to continue holding a Day of Hope for years to come.
