Which Wich Franchisee Kimberley Morris Gives Back to Boulder County

Kimberley Morris may have only recently opened a Which Wich Superior Sandwiches in Longmont, Colorado, but she’s already bettering the lives of residents in the community.

Morris is no stranger to giving—and receiving—help. Before having a successful career, Morris was homeless for a while. She worked three jobs to make ends meet, but she says she would have never gotten ahead if it wasn’t for the people who believed in her.

“We all need assistance. It’s hard to do it on our own. If I never got that support, I could have still been on the streets or in jail today. I don’t know where I would have been,” says Morris. “You’ve got to let go of your pride and accept help and assistance from other people if you want to succeed.”

With the help of her mentors, Morris was able to get her career on track and obtained a job in the finance industry where she worked for the past two decades. Now that the time is right, she’s following her passion to become a business owner in the restaurant sector, and Morris says the town of Longmont has been very helpful throughout this process.

“The small business administration was incredibly supportive. I met with them several times and they went over spaces that were available. They provide demographics on different areas, offer seminars on preparing business plans and give grants for new businesses in town, which they do a lot of legwork on,” says Morris. “They even have a class on the differences between franchising versus starting your own business.”

The support Morris has found in Longmont has defined who she is as a person today. Over the past five years, she’s volunteered for a local group in town known as Circles, which is part of a nationwide non-profit called Bridges Out of Poverty. The program provides guidance and creates opportunities for impoverished people who are struggling in the community.

“People in the program have to go through financial fitness classes – an 18-month progression that is designed to organize and provide the financial framework for getting out of poverty. This means teaching them things that we typically take for granted: opening a bank account, writing a check and getting student loan funding,” says Morris. “Basically what we do is we give them the skills in the areas where they need guidance in order to get out of poverty or get off government subsidies and make it on their own.”

Now that Morris owns a business, she’s extending this helping hand one step further by offering anyone in the program a job at her Which Wich.

“If you’re in the program, I know you want to better your life. I know you need additional income and I’ll help you with it. Regardless of skillset, regardless of the interview process – if someone needs a job, they have a job,” says Morris.

Right now, Morris is focusing on her new business, but has plans to partner with organizations and charities to create even more opportunity within the community and empower those who need assistance.