About the Worthy One

Friendship and service across divides. Stories worth knowing. Every one is worthy.

I’m Josh Wanggaard. I live in Urban Minneapolis and serve as the Twin Cities Director for Good in the ’Hood, a nonprofit bringing help and inspiring hope by building friendships through food, footwear, and foot care.

The Worthy One is my personal vlog and newsletter. It is a place to share stories from my work, introduce people worth knowing, and reflect on what I’m learning about faith, friendship, service, grief, family, community, and life across social divides.

Some readers support my work through Good in the ’Hood. Others are friends, neighbors, community partners, or people who simply find these stories meaningful. Wherever you come from, you are welcome here.

At the center of this project is a simple belief: people are never merely statistics, needs to be met, problems to solve, or labels to apply. Every person has a name. Every person has a story. Everyone has inherent dignity and deserves belonging, friendship, and love.

I also want to handle people’s stories with care—especially stories involving hardship, homelessness, addiction, illness, poverty, or grief. When necessary, I will change or withhold identifying details. The goal is never to turn someone’s vulnerability into content or to make the helper the hero. It helps us see one another more fully. Our horizons are extended as we realize that our everyday is often not others' everyday.

My faith in God shapes how I understand the world and how I try to live. I will write honestly from that perspective, but this publication is not only for believers. You do not need to share my beliefs to read, participate, ask questions, or belong. Some of my most meaningful friendships have grown between people whose backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and convictions differ deeply.

The views shared here are my own. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, this is not an official publication of Good in the ’Hood.

Thank you for being here. I hope these stories help us look again, listen longer, cross divides, and recognize the worth of the person in front of us.