Year: 2022

There’s no question that we live in challenging times. But along with challenges come opportunities for change—and for changemakers to rise up.

When the world feels dark, we naturally crave the light. We look for torches of goodness, people who create and shed light on positive change in their communities and in society, as a whole. Sometimes we find these wonderful humans in the most unlikely of places—for instance, in the “Salsabrations” of a beloved snacking brand known for chilled salsas and hummus dips.

Family-owned Fresh Cravings says that its motto, “Crave Goodness,” is about inspiring people to seek the best for themselves, their friends and family and their communities. It’s not just lip service; the company puts its money where its mouth is, giving back to the communities it serves. In 2021, Fresh Cravings launched a national giveback campaign to “Salsabrate™ The Good” by donating $5,000 a week—$250,000 total—to 50 grassroots, non-profit organizations with an emphasis on youth change-makers. And it’s continuing its commitment to amplify and support the good in 2022.

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Upworthy is thrilled to partner with Fresh Cravings in sharing these youth-led initiatives and celebrating the unsung heroes who are being lifted up in this campaign. Check out these young folks and the awesome things they’re doing for their communities:

Jahkil Jackson was just 8 years old when he decided he wanted to do something to help people experiencing homelessness in his hometown of Chicago. He started creating and giving out Blessing Bags filled with basic supplies such as toothbrushes, soap, hand sanitizer, socks and more. Five years later, he has an entire team of volunteers nationwide who build and distribute Blessing Bags through his non-profit Project I AM. “My goal with the organization is not only to help the homeless and build awareness,” says Jahkil. “It’s also to show kids that helping others, being involved in their community and doing good in the world is actually cool.”

To learn more about Project I AM or to support Jahkil’s efforts, please visit: https://officialprojectiam.com

Hey there, Gen-Z! Halie Thomas founded The HAPPY Organization at age 12 to help kids become happier, healthier, more informed and more active humans. How? Through a unique interactive peer learning experience for 2nd to 5th grade kids, focusing on physical, mental and spiritual wellness education. HAPPY stands for Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth, and over the past eight years the org has helped more than 50,000 kids become leaders in their own lives. “It’s really just all about creating this experience that’s holistic, but also fun and engaging for young people to start to learn how to take care of themselves,” says Halie.

To learn more about The HAPPY Organization or to support Halie’s efforts, please visit: https://www.thehappyorg.org.

Chelsea discovered the healing power of art after her grandfather died when she was 4 and her grandmother encouraged her to draw a picture of him. Now she wants to help others heal through creativity. For her 10th birthday, she asked guests to bring art supplies to donate to other kids instead of gifts, and so began Chelsea’s Charity–a nonprofit supporting children’s mental health through art. Less than two years later, her organization has made over 15,000 art kits for kids! “A lot of kids are really excited and happy and just joyful when they get the art kit and that makes me very, very happy,” says Chelsea.

To learn more about Chelsea’s Charity or to support Chelsea’s efforts, please visit: https://www.chelseascharity.com/.

14-year-old Khloe Thompson saw a need among the women experiencing homelessness in her community, so she started making toiletry-filled tote bags for them. Now she enlists others to help make and distribute the bags and also mentors other young people to be changemakers in their communities. In addition, she takes a trip to Ghana each year to help install water pumps in bathroom facilities. “I feel a lot of optimism for the future because I feel as if there’s so many people that want to give back,” says Khloe. “How ever old they are, there’s a little spark inside someone. It just takes a lot to ignite it sometimes.”

To learn more about Khloe Kares or to support Khloe’s efforts, please visit: https://www.khloekares.com.

During the pandemic, 8-year-old Morgan set a goal to raise $100 for Little John’s Kitchens, a nonprofit pay-what-you-can restaurant that’s helping fight food insecurity. She set up a virtual lemonade stand, making videos about Little John’s and asking people to donate. That $100 goal blossomed into a whopping $89,000 in donations. Morgan’s LemonAid Stand continues to raise awareness and collect money for Little John’s Kitchens with even bigger goals in mind. “I have no plans to stop when there is so much need,” says Morgan.

To learn more about Morgan’s LemonAid Stand or to support Morgan’s efforts, please visit: https://www.morganslemonaid.com/.

Peyton was just 7 years old when she founded her nonprofit organization, Eye of a Child, which helps brings awareness and resources to fight child homelessness. Peyton says she has seen homelessness in her own family and learned in her research that 2.5 million children experience homelessness annually. She asked her mom if she could invite 100 homeless people to her 8th birthday party, which prompted the idea for Eye of a Child. The organization makes and sells heart-shaped crayons and custom t-shirts and then donates the profits to homeless shelters. “You should still care for somebody, even if they don’t have as much money,” says Peyton. “They’re still here—care for them while they are.”

To learn more about Eye of a Child or to support Peyton’s efforts, please visit: https://eyeofachild.org.

After Emma Benoit survived a suicide attempt that left her paralyzed at age 16, she wanted to help others who are struggling to find hope and strength. More than 20 teenagers die by suicide in the U.S. every day, and Emma is using her story to empower youth to fight that devastating statistic. “My Ascension” is Emma’s powerful documentary film that encourages young people to be vulnerable and talk about how they’re feeling. “Talk to people. Talk to someone. Tell someone how you’re feeling, because you just never know what a conversation can do for you,” says Emma.

To learn more about My Ascension or to support Emma’s efforts, please visit: https://www.myascension.us.

Maddie Bozik was 10 years old when she noticed that many kids in her school didn’t have access to winter clothes. She lives in northern Illinois, which is known for harsh, cold winters. So she started a winter clothing drive in her neighborhood, which morphed into Maddie’s Mitten March, a nonprofit that collects, cleans and distributes winter clothing for those in need. The organization utilizes two busses to collect and distribute the items, and Maddie says there’s no plan to stop. “We’ll just continue providing winter clothing to anyone who needs it,” she says.

To learn more about the Maddie’s Mitten March or to support Maddie’s efforts, please visit: https://www.mittenmobile.com.

Jack Griffin was 14 years old when he first recognized the problem of food insecurity and the difficulties in accessing resources many people face. Over $100 billion is allocated yearly towards fighting food insecurity, but Jack realized there was an information gap between the people needing food assistance and the people providing it. So he created FoodFinder, a website and app that makes it easier to search for food pantries, soup kitchens and meal assistance sites. “We’re here to raise the utilization of the more than 60,000 food pantries already on the ground serving folks in need,” says Jack, “so that anyone who is looking for help with food [does] not have to worry anymore about where they’ll get their next meal.”

To learn more about FoodFinder or to support Jack’s efforts, please visit: https://foodfinder.us.

There are amazing initiatives all around us that we may not see that deserve to be recognized. Supporting those who are already enacting positive change in their communities—especially young people who represent the future of humanity—is one of the best ways companies and individuals can make an impact on our world.

To learn more about the other organizations Fresh Cravings is lifting up and to be part of this ongoing festival of compassion and charity, join the Salsabration and sign up for the Fresh Cravings newsletter. We can all make our world a better place by amplifying goodness and taking inspiration from the beacons of light in our communities.

Abbott Elementary is only in its first season, but already, the hit ABC sitcom from creator Quinta Brunson is working hard to pay its success forward. As Brunson has revealed in interviews, the series is inspired by her sixth-grade teacher in Philadelphia, who made things work despite the struggles of working in an underfunded school district. To help remedy that situation across the board, Abbott Elementary has become the first entertainment brand to collaborate with Scholastic and provide free books to struggling schools.

Starting with Brunson’s old alma mater, Philadelphia’s Harrity Elementary, Scholastic will give two free books to students in various schools across the country. Not only that, but a Traveling Teacher’s Lounge will also show some love to the hard-working teachers by providing books for their classrooms, supplies, breakfast, and Abbott Elementary swag. Via Variety:

“Our mission at Scholastic has always been to support teachers and provide them with the resources and materials needed to build warm, positive classroom experiences for their students. That’s why we are so thrilled to team up with ABC and ‘Abbott Elementary’ — a show dedicated to uplifting educators and reflecting their experiences — to put books into the classrooms that need them most and get kids excited about reading and learning,” added Billy DiMichele, senior vice president of creative development at Scholastic.

Created by Brunson, and based loosely on some of her own classroom experiences, Abbott Elementary has been one of ABC’s strongest sitcom debuts in years thanks to Brunson specifically setting out to write a show that’s for the whole family.

“It’s not prestige television,” Brunson told Vanity Fair while lamenting the recent dark turn in sitcoms. “It’s TV for everybody.”

Abbott Elementary airs Tuesdays on ABC.

(Via Variety)

After it was announced that Rob Zombie would finally be making his passion project, a movie based on the 1960s sitcom The Munsters, many people assumed it would be a gory and gritty remake. His name is Rob Zombie, after all. But, the House Of 1000 Corpses director insists his movie is family-friendly.

Zombie posted on Instagram that the official rating for The Munsters is PG, which comes as a surprise to most Zombie fans. “For those of you speculating, wondering and assuming that THE MUNSTERS would be dirty, violent and nasty… well, you are wrong,” the director posted on Instagram, along with a photo that confirms the film’s official PG rating. “It’s all good down on Mockingbird Lane.”

The director has been sharing various photos from the set over the past few months, which has been looking pretty faithful to the original TV show. The movie will star Zombie’s wife Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster, and Jeff Daniel Phillips (perhaps best known for his role of The Caveman in Geico’s commercials) as Herman Munster. Also starring is Daniel Roebuck and Richard Blake. Unfourntely, John C. Reilly will not be in the film to reprise his Licorice Pizza Herman Munster cameo.

While the PG rating is a bit surprising, it’s not unwelcome, as it will hopefully show off Zombie’s directing skills. After all, we know he is capable of appealing to a wider audience after directing that one episode of CSI: Miami in 2010.

The Munsters is expected to be released on Peacock later this year.

Has Vladimir Putin been Q all along?! OK, probably not. But as CNN reports, both the Russian dictator and those wacky QAnon conspiracy theorists have been pushing the same lie: That Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine had nothing to do with being a tyrannical maniac—it was all about him being a quiet superhero. Essentially, the theory goes that biological weapons are being mass produced in Ukraine, and Putin wanted to rid the world of such dangers. (Yay! Hooray, Putin!) Except, none of that is true. Obviously.

As CNN’s Donnie O’Sullivan writes:

A new conspiracy theory has become popular among some of the online communities that formed around QAnon—one simultaneously being promoted by the Kremlin as a justification for its invasion of Ukraine. The false claim: the United States is developing bioweapons in Ukraine and Vladimir Putin has stepped in to save the day and destroy the weapons.

QAnon’s core prophecy has always been that there is a “plan” and that former President Donald Trump will rid the world of an evil cabal, culminating in the unmasking, imprisonment or even execution of cabal members. But that prophecy dates back to when Trump was actually president—now that he’s not, believers have been convincing themselves there is evidence that the plan is still very much in place, maybe even more so than ever before. In the Kremlin’s disinformation, some have seen that hope.

Unfortunately for fans of Q, Putin, and/or Trump, it’s all a big lie. And it’s not the first time Russia has made this sort of claim against a foreign country. They spun the same story about a secret biowarfare lab existing in Tbilisi, Georgia, too, as CNN notes.

For those of you thinking, “Well, it might be true,” remember that Russia also claimed that the HIV/AIDS virus was created by America in a lab, too.

On the bright side: there’s still a chance that JFK Jr. could materialize and be Trump’s running mate in 2024.

(Via CNN)

Does anyone else feel like rappers are taking this GOAT thing a little too far? Not only have a bunch of rappers gone around calling themselves the GOAT (an acronym meaning “Greatest Of All Time” as first coined by LL Cool J on his 2000 eighth studio album, The G.O.A.T.), but they’ve actually taken to throwing images of actual goats all over their videos and album covers.

Lil Durk added a couple of extra heads to the goat in his, Lil Baby, and Polo G’s “3 Headed Goat” video in 2020, which made it look like something out of Greek mythology. That same year, Rylo Rodriguez turned himself into a photoshopped faun on his Goat In Human Form cover, drawing amused reactions from rap fans on Twitter. And last year, Young Dolph and Key Glock called themselves “A Goat & A Dolphin” for single from their joint album, Dum & Dummer.

Now, Key Glock is keeping that theme going with his new video for “Painkillers,” in which he walks a goat on a leash through a snowy mountaintop scene, which also continues a motif from his and Dolph’s Dum & Dummer sequel last year. He also cruises through the snow in his custom yellow Rolls Royce Phantom, which picks up a thread from his Yellow Tape cover — which is apropos, considering “Painkillers” is one of 10 new tracks that will appear on the deluxe edition of Yellow Tape 2, also announced today. The deluxe reissue will land at DSPs on March 25 via Paper Route Empire, Glock’s first solo release since the death of Young Dolph in a shooting late last year. You can pre-save the album here and check out the video above.

While preparing to make Game of Thrones, a project he never expected to get off the ground, D.B. Weiss wrote a script called Metal Lords that hit the backburner as Thrones became a mammoth juggernaut for HBO. However, once the dragon series concluded its eight season run, Weiss quickly returned to his film about a high school metal band and retooled the script that hadn’t been touched since 2006.

Along the way, he became friends with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. Morello came aboard the Netflix film as an executive producer, but the musician quickly took on the role of a hard rocking advisor as he pushed the actors to fully embrace the metal genre.

“It doesn’t matter the accuracy of your cymbal hits. You just have to go fucking berserk the entire time,” Morello told Billboard. “That’s metal! Don’t worry about the rest. Kick my ass with your facial expressions, which should be, at a minimum, Neanderthal-like and at a maximum, like you’re just in some sort of roiling pain and never stop doing that.”

Here’s the official synopsis for Metal Lords:

Two kids want to start a heavy metal band in a high school where exactly two kids care about heavy metal. Hunter (Adrian Greensmith) is a diehard metal fan —is there any other kind?— who knows his history and can shred. His dream in life is to win at the upcoming Battle of the Bands. He enlists his best friend Kevin (Jaeden Martell) to man the drums. But with schoolmates more interested in Bieber than Black Sabbath, finding a bassist is a struggle.

Metal Lords starts shredding April 8 on Netflix.

(Via Billboard)

Just when you think you’ve figured out who the dumbest member of the Trump family is, someone else makes an incredibly stupid statement that forces you to rethink your whole algorithm. When it comes to the Trump “kids,” Don Jr. is usually at the top of the list. But now Eric Trump is making a grab for the title after bragging about how the family and their businesses are flush with cash… right after cashing a huge loan check.

As Raw Story reports, Eric Trump made a statement earlier this week on the general financial health of the Trumps and their real estate portfolio and other business holdings after signing a $100 million refinance loan on Trump Tower, noting that:

“Trump Tower is one of the most iconic properties in the world and sits on arguably the most prestigious corner in all of New York. We have incredibly low debt, have a tremendous amount of cash, and have an extremely profitable company. We had no problem refinancing.”

As Raw Story wrote, Forbes first reported on the deal on Wednesday:

“Donald Trump refinanced Trump Tower in February, taking out a $100 million loan, according to documents recorded Tuesday by New York City’s Department of Finance,” Forbes magazine reported Wednesday. “Trump’s previous mortgage on his flagship piece of real estate, $100 million from commercial real estate investment trust Ladder Capital, was scheduled to come due in September.”

All of this, of course, comes in the wake of Mazars USA, Trump’s longtime personal and business accounting firm, dumping the former president as a client because they could not in good conscience stand behind the financial statements they had prepared for him for a solid decade, from 2011 to 2020.

According to Forbes, this new influx of cash came courtesy of Axos Bank of San Diego, an internet bank whose CEO has contributed loads of money to Republican campaigns dating all the way back to 2012, including a hefty donation to Trump himself.

(Via Raw Story)

After it was revealed that the Teen Wolf revival movie would actually be happening, many fans wondered if the original cast would return. Surprisingly, most of the main ensemble cast will be back, including Tyler Posey as Scott McCall, Holland Roden as Lydia Martin, Shelley Hennig as Malia Tate, and Crystal Reed as Allison Argent –who famously died in season three. Noticeably absent were three main members: Dylan O’Brien, Arden Cho, and Tyler Hoechlin. While Cho and Hoechlin haven’t made any official statements, O’Brien recently revealed why he decided to sit this one out.

While promoting his new film The Outfit with Zoey Deutch, O’Brien said he was very torn on whether he should return to play his iconic character, Stiles, in the Paramount Plus movie. “It was a difficult decision. A lot went into it,” the actor said, mentioning that the project came together very quickly.

“The show couldn’t be more dear to me. It was the first thing I ever did I and so many people there are extremely dear to me. It was something I was trying to make work but it all happened very fast,” the Maze Runner actor added. “We didn’t really know that it was happening and they kind of just threw it at us a little bit, which is fine because we all love the show. We were trying to figure it out.”

Despite his best efforts, O’Brien was unable to make it work and decided it was best for his character to stay out of it. “Ultimately, I just decided it was left in a really good place for me and I still want to leave it there.”

O’Brien has nothing but love for the cast and crew, and insists he will support the movie. “I wish them well and I’m going to watch it the first night it comes out. I hope it f***ing kicks ass, but I’m not going to be in it.” Let’s just hope they don’t kill Stiles, and perhaps he’ll make a text appearance like Samantha in And Just Like That.

It’s Mario Day! Since the internet is the way it is, Nintendo’s iconic plumber has adopted March 10 — or MAR10 — as a day to celebrate his legacy. It’s a good excuse for the company to hold sales on a few games that don’t go on sale very often. One truth about Nintendo games is they rarely ever drop in price, so games that were released at $60 years ago still cost $60 today. When there is an opportunity to grab one on sale, then you should take it.

There might not be a better time to get some Mario games on sale than right now, but while some of us would love to drop more than $100 on every game listed, we also know that isn’t a viable option for everyone. That’s why we took a look at what’s on sale today and broke down what we think are the best games at the best price.

Luigi’s Mansion 3, $39.99

Usually a $60 game, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is down to $39.99 right now on the eShop. Already got it? Then you can get the multiplayer pack on sale for $6.99, down from $9.99. This is one of those cases where a great Nintendo game that has been out since 2019 is still being sold at full price, and there’s no reason to believe that’ll drop any time soon. That’s why people who have yet to buy Luigi’s Mansion 3 or its multiplayer pack might want to look into this sale.

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is maybe the best game in the entire franchise. It has a variety of really fun levels and it does a great job of not feeling like it’s just another version of the previous two games. The best feature is easily the co-op Gooigi feature. Players can add in a companion on their adventure called Gooigi, but unlike Luigi, he is far more durable. This makes Luigi’s Mansion 3 one of the best games to play with a sibling, significant other, friend, child, or really anyone. Playing games with other people is fun and Luigi’s Mansion 3 is one of the best at giving the chance to do that.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, $39.99

Another $60 title dropped down to $39.99, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury came out in early 2021. It still having a $60 price tag isn’t that surprising, but this is still a great opportunity to get one of the best games of 2021. Everyone already knows how good Super Mario 3D World is, since that’s a port of a Wii U game, but the real surprise was the Bowser’s Fury add-on.

Bowser’s Fury took the concept of Mario Odyssey, a game where Mario is able to keep exploring after obtaining a collectible, and expanded on it. Instead of exploring a variety of worlds, Mario instead has his entire adventure in the same general world, one that is smaller but incredibly dense with lots of variety across 12 different islands. There’s still a snow level, a cloud area, and a lot of water, but nothing ever stops Mario’s momentum. He just keeps going. It was so fun that many fans said they want the next mainline Mario game to be something very similar. Until then, this is the best we got and right now it’s on sale.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, $9.99

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is maybe the best deal on the entire eShop. This game is usually $60, but it’s dropped all the way down to $9.99. That’s an absolute steal for a game that was one of the biggest surprises of 2017. When everyone saw that Ubisoft and Nintendo had partnered to let Mario and the Rabbids go on an adventure together, there was a little bit of concern. Then, everyone saw it was an XCOM clone and became confused.

Turns out the folks behind the game knew what they were doing, because Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is one of the best games on the Switch. It’s a fun take on the XCOM formula of combat, because all of the characters can do things that only someone in the Mario or Rabbids universe could possibly attempt. The levels have some surprising difficulty in the late game and the sight of Mario with a plasma gun is funny. This is a steal at $9.99.

Fresh off the dismissal of Sarah Palin’s defamation suit against the New York Times and dining-out shenanigans in the Big Apple, she’s still ranting away. The former Alaskan governor and ex-VP candidate paid a visit to Fox News, where she chatted with Jesse Watters about rising prices at the gas pump.

This is, to be certain, a very real concern for consumers, and this was the case even before Biden shut down the import of Russian oil. The average price of gas in America is now above the $4 mark and seemingly rising more by the day. Palin, for some reason, seems to believe that Democrats don’t drive petroleum-based vehicles and only travel in “rice rockets” that don’t guzzle gas. (In 2011, she blamed Obama for rising gas prices, so at least she’s consistent.)

“It cost almost $140 bucks to fuel up my truck, and I know that the Jen Psakis ([inaudible] how you say her name) are gonna say, ‘Don’t drive a big truck then, Sarah.’” the one-time attempted rapper declared. “They don’t understand that petroleum products are everywhere. Every piece of plastic we touch. Everything that is transported from here to there. Everything is petroleum based. And all they think about is, well, drive your little tiny, well, rice rocket or something and don’t spend so much on gas. They have no clue, Jesse, what’s going on.”

It’s unclear whether Palin is talking about cars that she literally believes run on “rice” as fuel, or if she’s alluding to the pejorative term that refers to East-Asian manufactured motorcycles and automobiles. Perhaps Sarah doesn’t even know which she’s talking about, since she does love to ramble. On another subject, it looks like Sarah’s reported romance with former New York Ranger legend Ron Duguay is going places because the National Enquirer reports that they’re eloping soon. That maybe means a little break from Sarah Palin popping onto cable news at night.