From Stay-at-Home-Moms to Hunger Heroes: Filling In The Blanks Founders Tina Kramer and Shawnee Knight
In this episode of Mom to MORE™, host Sharon Macey is joined by guests Shawnee Knight and Tina Kramer, founders of the non-profit Filling In The Blanks which fights childhood hunger by providing children in need with meals on the weekends.
In 2013, Knight and Kramer created Filling In The Blanks, which has now expanded to include over 100 sites, including schools, after school programs, and camps throughout Fairfield and Westchester Counties and has delivered over 2 million weekend meals to children in low income households. These two multidimensional moms created something so essential in their extended community, and they now serve an extraordinary 5,500 kids a week.
Join Sharon, Shawnee and Tina as they discuss taking the first step, the importance of asking questions, moving forward with your vision, and not taking “No” for an answer.
Shawnee and Tina are true visionaries, whose passion, determination, and ability to rally the community have led to the success of Filling in the Blanks. Their dedication to their mission and their ability to overcome challenges make them an inspiration to other stay-at-home moms looking to make a difference.
[00:00] Introduction
[01:45] Shawnee and Tina’s background and the Importance of being Stay-at-home-moms
[03:16] How Shawnee and Tina met and the beginning of their nonprofit journey.
[05:01] The beginning of Filling in the Blanks and the challenges faced during the growth of the organization.
[08:24] The importance of asking questions and the education and learning involved when considering your next act
[14:10] Shawnee and Tina discuss the struggles they faced in their journey and how they pushed through them.
[16:55] Plans for growth, engaging new schools, the importance of community support and upcoming events.
[22:50] Shawnee and Tina share their personal definitions of "MORE" and provide advice to other moms.
[28:02] Where to find Filling in the Blanks online.
Learn more about Filling in the Blanks:
Website: https://www.fillingintheblanks.org/
Instagram: @filling_blanks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FillingintheBlanks1/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FillingintheblanksOrgNewCanaan
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