Her Story: Cheryl "Action" Jackson
her |həː, hə| pronoun 1 used as the object of a verb or preposition to refer to a female person: We were all inspired by her faith.
Cheryl “Action” Jackson is the Founder and CEO of Minnie’s Food Pantry, a national award-winning organization that has given over 11.7 million meals away to those in need! Cheryl is also an author, producer, and speaker and has received numerous prestigious honors and awards including Ebony’s Top 100 people, Lady of Destiny Award by Bishop TD Jakes and Serita Jakes, and Steve Harvey's Hero award and Community Leader of the Year award.
Cheryl knows what it means to have a vision and go after it! She has an incredible story of what is possible when we speak life to our dreams, claim what is ours, and give back to others. By the power of faith, family, and an indomitable spirit, she accomplished this and much more. Cheryl recounts the inspiring (and sometimes hilarious) stories of her unlikely but providential encounters with extraordinary people including Emmitt Smith, Will Smith, and Oprah Winfrey. Her hard-won insights will motivate you to discover what in the world you are supposed to be doing with your life!
She resides in Texas with her husband of 33 years. She has two sons and daughters and 4 incredibly beautiful grandchildren. Most importantly, Cheryl loves God and she gives him all the praise for the doors that have been closed and opened in her life.
Read more about Cheryl’s passion, life, and testimony in our interview below or watch the Facebook Live event here!
Q&A with Cheryl Jackson
1. What do you think you were put on this earth for? What do you want to be remembered by?
I was called to feed the hungry and to speak life to people with dreams. I want to be remembered as someone who loved God and God's people—especially the least of them.
2. Where did Minnie’s Food Pantry come from?
It came from a place of pain within me. I struggled with experiencing hunger myself when I couldn’t make ends meet and had to apply for food stamps. I was working 5 jobs and was denied because I was making “too much” but couldn’t afford food. I received a food donation, opened the box and everything was either expired or foreign. The only thing I remember was beets—and I won’t eat them to this day! Ha!
I founded Minnie’s Food Pantry to honor my mother, the late Dr. Minnie Hawthorne-Ewing. I had no blueprint when I started. Just a whisper from God saying, “Treat people how you want to be treated.” Now, I have gone from a place of pain to providing more than eleven million meals to children and families through Minnie’s. Our staff and over 20,000 volunteers are transforming lives daily. We have expanded operations from a small 500 square foot building to over 28,000 square foot building featuring an empowerment training center and a social enterprise store.
3. What are some of the obstacles that you have had to go through to get to this point? When you wanted to give up—how did you overcome?
There have been many obstacles to overcome, including people laughing at me and saying no to me. But I overcame because of the faithfulness of God and the people He has placed in my life. I had people in my circle who prayed for me and spoke life into me when I felt dead mentally and emotionally. I’ve wanted to close Minnie’s in times when it’s been hard—but I remember something my sister said in one of those times, "I understand you started this for mom, but it isn’t mom’s business. It’s God’s business.” That’s something I have to remember. This all belongs to God—and I’m called to feed the hungry. So when I’m discouraged, I keep going because of Him.
4. Where did “Action” come from??
I was having lunch with a friend named Jeff Crilley from Channel 5 News in Dallas and he told me I needed my own radio show. He walked out of the restaurant to take a call and by the time he came back, I had already called 4 people to schedule radio interviews. He said, “You know what? You’re Cheryl ‘Action' Jackson. A lot of people lack Vitamin A—Action. But not you. You are Cheryl ‘Action’ Jackson.” And I just ran with it.
5. What advice would you give other women searching for their purpose, passion, and faith?
Most of the time, when you find a place of pain in your life, you will find your passion and calling somewhere in the area.
6. What has been your greatest achievement in life?
Surviving the death of my mother.
7. How does what you do reflect what God placed on your heart to share with the world?
His scripture says to do good to those in need. Matthew 25:35-40 says, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
8. What books are you reading?
Draw the Circle: 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson, 5 Minute Bliss by Courtney E. Ackerman, and Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God by Mark Batterson.
9. What motivates/inspires you? How do you stay encouraged and faith-filled?
Seeing gratitude on the faces of the people we serve at Minnie’s inspires me. I rely on God and good people to motivate me. And I spend a lot of time stepping back and seeing the goodness of God. We live such a fast-paced life—at our last Thanksgiving food drive someone said to me, “Just step back and look.” I did and it was amazing to see all that God has done. I keep going because this is my calling. There will come a time when you realize who you are called to be—and no matter how tired I am or how I feel—feeding the hungry is what I’m called to do.
10. Favorite scripture of the moment (or ever)?
Psalms 46:5, Provers 31:29, and Proverbs 3:5-6.
Thank you, Cheryl! We are always so encouraged by your passion, enthusiasm, and your willingness to answer the calling of God on your life to care for those in need.
Want to help with Cheryl and her mission to feed the hungry?? You can. Follow @minniespantry to become a social ambassador by liking, commenting, and sharing the vision! Want to give? Visit www.minniesfoodpantry.org to donate your time, food, or financial resources!
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You are so loved.
XO-
Equipped by Faith
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