Paige Chenault was a successful event planner in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, looking forward to the birth of her first child. While reading a magazine story about a disaster in the Caribbean, she suddenly stopped — captivated by an image of a young boy standing alone among the ruins. She thought of her unborn baby and wondered if anyone was left to care for and worry about the child pictured in the magazine. Would he know what it is to run and play? Would there be food and water for him? Would he ever have a birthday celebration like the ones Paige staged for others – and someday soon – would plan for her own child?
In that moment, the idea of the Birthday Party Project was born. It took Paige several years to realize her dream, but soon after she staged the first party in 2012, the fledgling nonprofit become one of the area’s most beloved do-gooder groups. These days, the Birthday Party Project hosts more than 40 parties every month in 15 cities across the United States, fulfilling the simple, yet vital mission of ensuring that children who might otherwise be forgotten know what it is to celebrate their birthdays.
Given their expertise, the Hormel Foods team members brought someone extraordinary to the table. They reached out to parenting blogger and influencer Lunchbox Dad (Beau Coffron), known for his whimsical and Instagram-friendly, kid-focused food art. Coffron designed a lineup of emoji-themed sandwiches and demonstrated how to make them at Promise House, an emergency shelter and the site of the birthday celebration. He even showed the kids how to take Instagram- and Tik-Tok-worthy photos.
“The idea that this food can bring us together, and food can be art is something that’s amazing to me,” he said. “… It’s an honor just to be here for the Birthday Party Project, to be able to show the kids a little bit of something but also learn from them, too.”
Others agreed. The evening was one nobody in the room will soon forget.
“When the Birthday Party Project comes in and brings somebody from the outside, it’s just like, ‘Somebody else cares about our birthdays too. They brought somebody in!’” explained social worker Ashley Jackson. “That you took the time out to actually give them presents too? I mean, that means the world to them.”