I don’t know about you, but I love to hear an inspiring story. These stories remind me of how much goodness and hope there is in the world. When I hear examples of someone using their time, talents and gifts to help others, it inspires me to want to do the same (read more about that here).
Recently, I learned about Katie Stagliano. Katie has such an amazing and inspiring story of helping others and making a real impact on those in need. She exemplifies goodness through discovering her passion, using her passion to look beyond herself and then finding so much joy and happiness through her work.
Meet Katie
Katie grew up in Summerville, South Carolina and had an experience at the age of 9 that changed her life. She was given a cabbage seedling from a school program that she took home and carefully tended to in her garden. To her surprise, the cabbage grew to an incredible size of 40 pounds! Unsure of what to do with such a large harvest, she took it to a local soup kitchen where it was able to feed over 275 people. That one act is what inspired her nonprofit business, Katie’s Krops (www.katieskrops.com).
Katie’s Krops is a non-profit organization that uses community gardens to grow produce for those in need. The goal of the organization is to combat hunger through volunteer gardening, food donation and education. Katie’s Krops provides vegetable seeds for gardens, donates produce and provides fresh meals to local residents through the Garden-To-Table Dinners program. The organization even holds camps to teach children about community gardening.
Katie’s Krops has had massive growth and success since it started in 2008. There are now over 100 community gardens across the United States and the organization has donated over 38,000 pounds of produce. Katie’s Krops adjusted to the pandemic by changing their monthly in-person dinners to weekly to-go dinners. As of September, they have served more than 10,000 drive-through meals since the start of the pandemic. This month, Katie’s Krops will celebrate 10 years of helping to combat hunger.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
Anne Frank
Sharing the Inspiring Story
Katie is now 22 years old and her list of accomplishments is long. In addition to being Founder and Chief Executive Garden of Katie’s Krops, she is also a published author (link to her illustrated book, “Katie’s Cabbage” here), public speaker, blogger and educator. She has attained a long list of awards and recognitions including being featured by the Disney Channel (link), USA Today (link), People magazine (link) and the Oprah Winfrey docu-series project, “The Hero Effect (link to video and hero effect here). Katie was recognized by the National Geographic Society as one of 22 Young Explorers from 6 different countries. These are just a few of the many awards that are well-deserved for Katie and her team.
Wisdom from Katie
I had the opportunity to interview Katie and ask her about the impact of her work not just on those she is helping, but also on herself. When I hear stories like hers, I can’t help but wonder about the perspective, attitude and motivation of the person who accomplished so much. I believe strongly that helping others and turning our focus outward, away from ourselves, is a key component to happiness (read more about this here). I asked Katie some questions directed at this concept. Read her responses below and be inspired – there is wisdom in her words.
Do you consider yourself a happy person?
I do consider myself a happy person. My work with Katie’s Krops and the second family I have created through my work make me happy and inspire me to continue every day.
What has been the most rewarding part of your experience with Katie’s Krops?
The most rewarding part of my experience with Katie’s Krops is the second family I’ve created of the individuals I’ve met through my work. They’ve seen me graduate middle and high school and now college. We’ve been with each other through the triumphs and struggles. I can’t imagine spending my Thursdays with anyone else.
Do you feel like helping others has added to the happiness and fulfillment you feel in life? If so, how?
I do feel like helping others has impacted my life in many positive ways. I have created lasting friendships and relationships with some of the most incredible people! I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to help so many people and hopefully, put a smile on peoples’ faces. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and there is a reason I am on this journey to help end hunger. I am very excited to see where it takes me!
Many young people feel like social media can be a distraction and a negative influence in their lives, often shaping their world view. How do you feel about social media and do you consider it a positive or negative influence in your life?
What I’ve learned about social medial through my work at Katie’s Krops is that you never know what somebody is going through until you walk in their shoes. I think this is something that very much applies to social media as well. Someone can appear to be doing great on social media but really be struggling.
Social media can be a wonderful tool to garner support, spread information, reach out to others who may need help and share exciting news! With Katie’s Krops, we try and make our social media as helpful of a resource as possible. We have been able to help meet so many needs via social media and help so many individuals. We’ve been able to spread the word about our efforts to those across the country. For that reason, I view social media in a positive light.
However, I do know that social media can also be quite a negative place. I try to fill my feed with things that are informative, as well as positive stories and accounts. Social media is something that allows you to shape what you see and I think that’s the beauty of it!
Have there been any barriers to the work you are doing? If so, what have you done to overcome those barriers?
There have been some barriers in my work, but I always try to turn obstacles into opportunities. A prime example of this is the Katie’s Krops Dinners. These dinners began when the only local soup kitchen in my area shut their doors. I was extremely worried for those who had come to rely on the soup kitchen for meals. That’s when I got the idea for the Katie’s Krops Dinners.
I knew I had gardens full of beautiful vegetables and friends who could help me out. We began to take the harvest from the gardens and create hot, healthy and free meals for those in need in the community. This October marks the 10 year anniversary of our Katie’s Krops Dinners. Since the dinners began, we have served over 20,000 meals to those in need in the community. The soup kitchen closing could have been an obstacle but instead it was an opportunity!
What is one piece of advice you would give other young people about their ability to be a positive influence to others?
My advice would be to follow your heart and find a cause you truly believe in. One small action could truly change someone’s life! I would say to start small; you never know what can grow from just one thing.
What are your future plans?
I graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in communications and a minor in business. I am excited to return to Katie’s Krops full-time to help us continue to grow, both figuratively and literally. I want to expand Katie’s Krops to have gardens in all fifty states across the US and internationally.
Are you inspired? Do you notice the themes of relationships, support, gratitude, passion, shaping perspective and looking for the good in obstacles? Katie’s story, like everyone’s, has the power to change us if we let it. The more we take time to learn about the lives and stories of other people, especially motivational stories like this, the more our lives will be enriched.
Challenge for this week:
Reflect on this inspiring story of Katie’s and see if there is a cause that you truly believe in. Can you somehow get involved, even in one small way?
If you are inspired by the mission of Katie’s Krops and want to help, follow this link to her website and you’ll find many ways to get involved. Also, follow them on Twitter @KatiesKrops and Instagram @katieskrops to add some positivity to your feed.