A fifth grade food drive taught me that hunger doesn't announce itself. It exists quietly, in the same community where I grew up, behind doors I drove past every day. I set a goal to collect 2,000 food items for the school food drive. With a red wagon and the kindness of neighbours, family, and friends, I surpassed it. But I couldn't stop thinking about the families on the other side of those donations.
That was the beginning of Bank on Bellies. To me, food is a source of connection, dignity, and resilience, and the families who need it most deserve to be treated with that same respect. What followed over the next 8 years was the work of building sustainable solutions to food insecurity. Food drives grew into community and school partnerships. Partnerships grew into corporate relationships. None of it happened in isolation. The community leaders and educators who gave their time, knowledge, and encouragement shaped both my understanding of food insecurity and what BOB became. Before assembling an executive team in 2025, I raised $38,191 and collected 24,584 food items, built a fresh meal program, prepared meals using rescued food for housebound elders, and mentored the I Am a Girl club at my local YMCA community centre.
The honours received along this journey have been humbling beyond words. In 2018 I received the YMCA Peace Medal , 2022 the Telus Friendly Future Maker Award. I was featured in Brainable, a mental health and wellness magazine distributed across Ontario middle schools for my contributions to youth empowerment and community service, and in 2025 at my high school graduation I recieved the Lieutenant Governor's Community Volunteer Award.
On April 28th, 2025, I was selected and received Ontario’s Youth Volunteer Award (one of eleven recipients) , it is the province's highest honour in youth volunteerism, presented by the Honourable Lieutenant Governor General of Ontario and the Minister of Multiculturalism. That July, I was privileged to be invited to an exclusive dinner hosted by His Royal Highness Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Honourable Lieutenant Governor General Edith Dumont, a small, distinguished gathering of Ontario's emerging young leaders. My 11 year old self never could have imagined this. But my journey is proof that consistency, hard work, and genuine care for your community leaves its mark. It is the belief that drives every Ambassador we welcome into this mission.
Through my experiences I recognize that building something sustainable requires the right people. In 2025, Bank on Bellies welcomed its first executive team, a group of driven, passionate individuals brought together to scale BOB's reach and deepen our impact. With this foundation in place, BOB is now expanding onto university campuses across Canada through our Ambassador Program and BOB chapters, committed to building the year-round consistency that food banks need and communities deserve.
Outside of BOB, I am a Health Sciences student at Queen's University, where I have contributed to published research in healthcare. I built Navi, a clinical documentation platform designed to help pre-dental and pre-medical students track and verify their shadowing hours with intention, not from memory under pressure. I am an alumna of The Knowledge Society The Knowledge Society (TKS), selected as one of 40 Queen’s University students in first year for a globally recognized program that puts young people in front of the world's most pressing problems and asks them to act. I serve as Co-President of the Queen's University Pre-Dental Club, outreach co-ordinator for The Breakfast club, social media executive for Queens Hellenic Student Association, hold certifications in Sign Language and Mental Health First Aid, and write about leadership and purpose on Substack.
What started with a red wagon and a belief that I could make a difference has grown into something I could never have imagined, because kindness feeds bellies.
