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LILLIAN MELENDEZPLATFORM - CANCERKIM CHAPMAN PHOTOGRAPHYKIM CHAPLAN PHOTOGRAPHY

MISTY COOLIDGEPLATFORM - HUNGERI've been fighting hunger in more ways than I can count for m ore years t han I can remember. The passion for filling bellies is a personal one growing up in a household wit h food stam ps, WIC, and qualifying for free lunch throughout my school career. Food insecurity is real. The need to give, volunt eer, and help out your local food bank is greater than ever before. Not only is volunteering a huge part of my life, but owning a wedding venue allows me to host events annually to benefit t he Good Shepherd Food Bank here in Maine including a "Running of the Brides 5K for Hunger", a Quilt Auction, and m ost recent ly co-hosted a first annual "Flowers t hat Feed Art & Runway Show " t his past summer. This year I also created and helped brew a "FEED ME" blueberry wheat ale at a local brewery (NU Brewery) in which $1 per beer goes to the Good Shepherd. I also became a published author with my first book "We All St ir t he Pot to End Hunger" now on Amazon which benefit s Feeding America. It is a book t hat opens the dialogue between parents and children about hunger and how they can help or use the recipes in t he back t o feed their family. We all stir the pot- even though we don't realize we're holding a spoon.ht tps://www.amazon.com/We-All-St ir-Pot -Ourselves/dp/1223183351

July 2021 - Omaha, Nebraska - 'Food Bank of the Heart land' sorting Omaha Steak meatballs.Sept ember 2021 - New York, New York - 'City Harvest ' handing out fresh produce to the homeless and families in need.October 2021 - Los Angeles, California - 'Los Angeles Regional Food Bank' where I sort ed apples donat ed by a local farmer.November 2021 - Las Vegas, Nevada - 'Three Square' boxing children's meals for the backpack program .December 2021 - Raleigh, North Carolina - 'Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC' where my sorority sister Heather and I sorted sweet pot atoes.MISTY COOLIDGE #CRUSHINGHUNGER TOUR My #crushinghunger t our began when I was crowned with my first nat ional title of USA Service Am bassador in Omaha, Nebraska in July 2021 with the Worldwide USA Pageant syst em. Being a USA Ambassador meant I needed to set a USA goal for myself. It was then I decided t o travel to all 50 stat es (at my own expense) and #crushhunger at a food bank in every state. Here is the st art of that journey....

January 2022 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin - the Feeding Am erica warehouse was closed the day I visit ed, so I volunteered at 'Friedan's Communit y Ministries' food pantry helping to 'stock' pantry shelves for families coming in and filling out a 'wish list ' of food needs.January 2022 - Boston, Massachusetts - 'The Greater Bost on Food Bank' where my hubby and I helped repack vacuum-sealed ham s and then bagged packages of oatmeal for family food boxesFebruary 2022 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - 'Philabundance' packing emergency family food boxes wit h a huge energet ic group of volunteers! This is also where I adapt ed "Notes of Sunshine" for school children back here in Maine.March 2022 - Savannah, Georgia - 'Second Harvest ' of Coast al Georgia building (t aping) hundreds of boxes for volunteers who were packing family food boxes going out to families in need.March 2022 - Orlando, Florida - 'Second Harvest ' Food Bank of Central Florida where my hubby and I hauled pallets and unsealed and opened boxes for volunteers to sort!! What a workout !In early February 2022, I was crowned MRS. USA through the Worldwide USA Pageant and continued my tour across the country!

April 2022 - Washingt on, DC - 'Capit al Area Food Bank' working on an enormous conveyor belt boxing family meal boxes.April 2022 - Providence, Rhode Island - 'Rhode Island Comm unit y Food Bank' where I packed small boxes for t he local children's backpack program .April 2022 - Manchester, New Hampshire - 'New Hampshire Food Bank' working in their culinary kitchen chopping mushrooms for their beef stroganoff that was packed in family meal packaging for partner agencies like churches, Meals on Wheels, soup kitchens, and Boys & Girls Clubs. My sororit y sister Nicole and I also processed carrots and celery for t he next day's stir fry.May 2022 - Oak Park, Michigan - 'Forgott en Harvest' where my pageant sist er Sherlyn and I bagged toast ed crackers for family food boxes and backpack programs.April 2022 - Wallingford, Connecticut - 'Connecticut Foodshare' packing emergency family meal boxes.MISTY COOLIDGE #CRUSHINGHUNGER TOUR

May 2022 - Toledo, Ohio - 'Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank' where my pageant sist er Heidi and I sort ed pallets of frozen meat.May 2022 - Phoenix, Arizona - 'St Mary's Food Bank' (the country's very first food bank) where I helped load shopping carts of food that were wheeled out to hundreds of cars t hat pulled up. Such a fun shift!June 2022 - Richmond, Virginia - 'Feed More' where my sorority sist er Heather and I scooped food into 'Meals on Wheels' portions containers that would go out to hundreds of senior citizens across their stat e.August 2022 - Barre, Vermont - 'Vermont Food Bank' - Wit h the main food bank for the state being out of reach of our travels, my hubby and I volunteered at the 'Upper Valley Communit y Cent er' Food Pantry where we unboxed donated bread, bundled herbs, and helped fill 'shopping lists' for families in need.Sept ember 2022 - Nashville, Tennessee - 'Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee' where I packed Disast er Relief Food Boxes for families affected by Hurricane Ian. Collect ively, we packed 840 boxes on 10 pallets that would be shipped out to Florida. In July, I headed back out to Omaha, Nebraska to compete wit h some am azing women for the title of Mrs. Worldwide and won!! Now wit h my internat ional tit le, I set a new goal for myself to cross 10 countries off my list beginning this winter through early summer while also continuing my #crushinghunger t our and crossing the remainder of t he 50 states off my list! During my wedding season, I don't get to travel as m uch as I'd love to, but had a couple of weekends off this sum mer to cross off two more states.With 20 stat es (and one dist rict) down, I've got plans to travel to the remaining 30 states throughout the remainder of this year and 2023! Upcoming t rips include Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Hawaii, Louisiana, South Dakot a, Alaska, and Oklahoma to start .

MISTY COOLIDGE MRS. WORLDWIDECROWNS MAGAZINE