Nothias Family
Honeycomb regulars since 2017, the Nothias family stopped volunteering during Covid. Mom says, “my son, Sebastien (Seb) was six-years old when we found Honeycomb. We participated around once a month cleaning up beaches and nature preserves, making cards for veterans, building shelters for feral cats, prepping a community garden for spring…we were always trying different things.”
The pandemic challenged the family. “We went from helping regularly to not doing anything,” says Sam. “It took a little conscious deliberation, but a couple of years later we realized that we needed to reconnect with others.”
Sam, her husband Manu, and Seb returned to Honeycomb in Fall 2023, making activity cards and games for kids at Lurie Children’s Hospital. The family moved on to delivering groceries through the Nourish Your Neighbors project. “We picked food up from a Nourishing Hope pantry and dropped off groceries at 6 or 7 homes throughout the city,” says Sam. “It was fun to meet different people…Seb and I delivered food to an elderly woman new to the food service program who lived alone and had just been discharged from the hospital. She had a lot of questions about the program and it was clear she was happy to have the opportunity to chat —it was nice to provide that companionship.”
Now 13-years old, the Honeycomb experience is different for Seb. Much more aware and asking questions about social circumstances impacting people in our communities, mom says Seb is also thinking more about what he is doing and why versus just doing it. “We were so isolated during Covid and now we remember how important it is to get involved with our communities,” she says.
The Nothias family also participated in the December Holiday Cheer Challenge as Team Carambar (growing up in France 🇫🇷, Carambar was Manu’s favorite chewy caramel candy and is now the family favorite as well). “We didn’t know what to expect at the Cheer Challenge, but we all had a blast meeting and doing group challenges with other folks involved with Honeycomb. It’s important to come together with each other.”
“I don’t think we’re ever doing enough,” Sam continues, “what we say to Seb is, be the change that you want to see—be kind, be curious, be respectful to others…those everyday interactions many not seem like a lot, but they can mean a lot to some people.”
The Nothias Family lives in Avondale and enjoys spending time with friends, walks to the beach, and exploring the city. Manu is a scientist and World War II enthusiast, and Sam is a physician working in cancer and laboratory data standardization. Seb is an 8th grader at the Lycée Francais de Chicago and loves his cats, storytelling and world-building, fencing, and playing guitar and video games.