Sunny Side Up Charity began with a heartbreak that changed everything. In 2019, we lost our mother to suicide.
We Jaz, Leslie & Wesley Espinal, sisters, Dominican daughters of New Jersey were left with unimaginable grief and one burning question: What can we do so that others don’t feel this alone?
That question became our compass.
Sunny Side Up is our answer.
We created this nonprofit not just to raise awareness about mental health, but to transform the way we care for it, especially for our youth. Too often, we wait until pain has already settled deep. But what if we could reach children sooner?
What if we could teach them to feel, to ground, to grow, long before the world tells them to harden?
Our mission is to bring permaculture, sustainability, and food forest education into schools and juvenile centers, spaces where young people are often forgotten or misunderstood. We want to help them reconnect with the earth, and in doing so, remember their worth. We want to teach them to plant, to nurture, to harvest and through this, they learn patience. They learn care. They learn that life can begin again. That they are part of something sacred. Part of something bigger than themselves.
We’re not just growing gardens. We’re growing safe spaces.
We’re growing mental health through reconnection, not just conversation. We’re growing a world where healing is not rushed, but honored, gently, season by season.
Sunny Side Up is for anyone who has felt broken and needed a place to root. This is our offering. Our love letter. Our way back home.