Contributor

Mary K. Hoodhood

Founder of Kids' Food Basket

In 1980, Mary K. Hoodhood was in a tragic car accident that left her a paraplegic, but was determined not to let her disability define her. When Mary learned that local kids were going home from school to empty cupboards and digging in the trash after school to find dinner, she founded Kids’ Food Basket in 2001, providing a take-home evening meal to kids in local Michigan schools. Today, the organization serves 6,300 kids each weeknight at 32 schools, and is the largest childhood anti-hunger organization in Michigan. Despite physical limitations, Mary volunteers approximately 30 hours a week as chair of the community outreach community, and works on fund development which includes two of Kids’ Food Basket’s largest fundraisers.

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