Community activist Cheryl “Action” Jackson has not forgotten her humble roots.

“Experience is the best teacher,” says the TX native, who founded Plano-based Minnie’s Food Pantry in 2008. “At one time, my husband and I simultaneously worked five jobs. I believe God made it that happen that way so that I could speak to people at both ends of the spectrum. When they’re here crying about their situation, I can say, ‘Look at me, I’ve been where you are, this too will pass and you’ll make it.'”

The nonprofit—named for her mother Rev. Minnie Ewing—helps Jackson help the hungry no matter where they come from. The pantry serves 800-1200 families monthly with proceeds from food drives and donations from the North Texas Food Bank.

“Plano ranks among the wealthiest cities in the world and because of that, there aren’t a lot of grants provided for poorer residents,” she says. “We serve all zip codes because hunger doesn’t recognize status.”

Minnie’s Food Pantry isn’t a typical resource center. Operating from a 3,000 square foot building located in central Plano (the organization will expand to much larger site on Parker Road next month), Minnie’s gives both meals and the milk of human kindness to anyone walking through the doors. Staffed by thousands of volunteers that include her two adult sons and daughter-in-law, Jackson shares as many hugs as she does groceries and says many cry on her shoulder about their struggles. “A lady named Elizabeth came to me and said, ‘I was doing it all right.’ She’s the mother of three kids who had just received her college degree, and she took off her hat to show me she was losing her hair because she now she has cancer. There are so many different factors that drive people to come to Minnie’s, that’s why it’s not only a job for me. It’s a mission for me to create awareness and be a voice for them, that’s what it’s about. ”

A “preacher’s kid” born to Pentecostal parents, Cheryl doesn’t allow shoddy treatment of anyone in need: in fact, hugs, velvet ropes and red carpet greet every client no matter how well-dressed or what vehicle they arrive in. “I always tell our volunteers to close their eyes and to think about the person they love the most, the person they would do anything for at anytime of day. Then, as they serve, they’re reminded to treat the people they’ll help as if they would treat the ones they love the most.”

With a holiday campaign, “It’s A Wonderful World,” Jackson is soliciting donations for toys and food for Minnie’s adopted families, but she’s also pushing to go above and beyond for the needy. She wants to see uniform standards created for food banks that receive state funds to provide healthier choices to those they serve. “First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded the movement for kids to have healthier meals at schools, but what we don’t have is a criterion for food pantries to make sure that they’re providing healthy meals too.”

No matter how successful she and her husband, Artis, happen to be, Jackson’s mission remains the same: changing how the world sees, nourishes and treats the hungry. “People are really passionate about feeding the poor during the holidays, but hunger is a day to day, all year-around occurrence for people in our community, no matter what zip code they live in.”

To donate time, toys, food or funds, please check out minniesfoodpantry.org and cherylactionjackson.org