Texas Grandma Quits Job, Drives 100 Miles Every Day To Feed Hungry Kids

Willa Johnson, 59, of Fort Worth, Texas, drives 100 miles each morning to feed hundreds of malnourished children in a tiny community where there is no food security program.

Willa saw an alarming tendency in tiny, impoverished communities like Athens, Texas, after ten years of working in food services for the state of Texas: while children were provided nutritious meals during the school year, they often went hungry during the summer months. Willa wasn’t about to stand by and see anything like that happen.

The enterprising lady decided to take a risk that would benefit hundreds of malnourished children in Texas. She quit her job and launched her own catering business, which she refers to as “The Soul Kitchen” since she pours her heart and soul into every bite. “I use a lot of sugar, butter, and love in my cooking!” But it’s much better when you’re cooking from your heart,” Willa lamented.

Willa, astonishingly, utilizes the money she makes from her catering business to feed children in the little community of Athens, Texas.

The fact that Willa decides to donate her money to feed children isn’t even the most remarkable aspect of this narrative. Willa leaves her house every weekday morning at 1 a.m. to drive almost 100 miles to Athens to feed those hundreds of children. Willa and her daughter then labor in the kitchen until the wee hours of the morning, preparing hundreds of three-course dinners.

The remainder of the day was spent delivering these home cooked southern meals to children who would otherwise go hungry. Feeding these kids isn’t cheap, and Willa has spent all of her savings in order to keep giving back in this way.

“God put individuals on this planet for certain reasons, and I believe this is my calling.”