“I want to live my values; I don’t want to preach them.” That’s the mantra of volunteer Joshua Sloan.
Joshua lives a life of service to others. He knows what it’s like to need help—he has experienced it himself—and now he wants to help others with a spirit of contagious enthusiasm. He is a member of the Deviators, a small nonprofit group that works with seniors, low-income, and unhoused individuals. The men and women in the organization contribute in a variety of ways to meet the needs of the underserved.
Through The Deviators, Joshua got to know the people living in the tent city in Pottstown. He helped spread wood chips, recovered abandoned shopping carts, provided dumpsters and barrels to collect waste, and secured portable toilets—all to improve living conditions for those experiencing homelessness.
Kim Hartman, Shelter Director at our Pottstown location, appreciates Joshua’s willingness to help in any way he is needed. “Everything he does is truly an act of kindness,” she noted. He built a dog run for clients and their pets using pallets, spread woodchips, and helped build a community garden using donated supplies. Having a designated space for pets helps clients take responsibility as pet owners and provides healthy activity for the animals. When someone had bags of shoes to donate, he knew exactly what to do with them. “I always seem to be at the right place at the right time,” he said. Joshua has delivered 41 bicycles so far in 2025, thousands of used grocery bags, 5 dozen rolling pieces of luggage, numerous storage totes, and more.
His compassion for others is grounded in his faith and his desire to help people build self-esteem. Being a good example of love, compassion, and honesty has helped him build bridges with individuals experiencing homelessness. “They aren’t different from me—they are just more visible,” he said. “I don’t like to make promises because I never want to break them, but I do promise to listen, and I promise I will try as much as possible. to make things better.”
Joshua believes that nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. He encourages us all to use our knowledge, experience, and connections to help others.