A Hunger Fighter with a Mission

By: Tatiana Gonzalez Quiroga, Movement Maker Tribe Intern and Louisiana State University Student

Dreams of No Hunger

Two hundred and seventy-five thousand meals collected and over half a million people fed in Central Texas last year. All of this due to the inspiring efforts of an eleven-year-old boy in Austin with a mission to end hunger. Mace Massingill’s passion for this cause began when he was only seven years old and helped collect cans for his family’s Thanksgiving drive. When he arrived at the food bank with 150 meals, he realized that if it had not been for his donation, 150 people would have gone hungry.

A Pioneer for Good

In Austin, roughly 25% of the population struggles to find their next meal. Mace is on a mission to change this statistic. After his experience, Mace set a goal to collect 1,000 meals for the upcoming Christmas. He knew he had a limited amount of time, so he enthusiastically began to call his family and friends to join his efforts. Mace not only reached the goal of 1,000 meals, but he surpassed it and was able to collect 4,000 more.

Each One Teach One

Since then, Mace has become a leader who turns moments into movements. He calls his grassroots movement #nohunger, a name he says is “hip and gets everyone’s attention.” The #nohunger campaign has become a widespread grassroots effort that has grown in power to include his contemporaries. Mace diligently works to recruit and inspire other kids to become Hunger Captains at their own schools and conduct their own food drives.

Mace even sends out a #nohunger starter pack to people who want to start a food drive in their own communities. No size food drive is too small. The kits include instructions on how to start small, medium, or large food drives. Mace is more than a movement maker: he’s now the founder of a non-profit. No Hunger Inc. was recently approved as a non-profit, allowing its impact to grow beyond Central Texas.

Mace is on a mission. He wants to leave a legacy behind by becoming the youngest person in all of Texas to end hunger. He wants young people to know that it is never too early to become a #firestarter in the community. “Go and make a difference,” he says, “it doesn’t matter how big or small your goal is, all of it counts for something. No one is ever too young to make a difference.”

Start Your Own Movement

Are you inspired by Mace and ready to make a difference? There are ways you can help the #nohunger movement:

If you’d like a starter packet to launch a food drive, email Mace at MacesFoodDrive@gmail.com;
If you’d like to donate money, invest in your local food bank, or donate to Mace’s fundraiser;
If you’d like to help Mace, share this story on your social media channels;
To continue to see Mace’s inspiring efforts, like his Facebook page: Mace Massingill – Hunger Fighter.

It is with no doubt that this Firestarter will continue building movements and fighting for those who are sometimes left forgotten. Thank you, Mace, for being an inspiration to all. And congratulations on recently being elected Student Council President. As the saying goes, “it’s only just beginning.” We know you’re going to do BIG things!

About the guest author: Tatiana Gonzalez Quiroga is a student at Louisiana State University and a recent graduate of the inaugural Governor John Bel Edwards Fellowship. She is also the 2017 Undergraduate Student of the Year, and like Terri Broussard Williams is an LSU Ambassador and President of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) on Campus at LSU. Tatiana serves as an intern for the #MovementMakerTribe.