Plano, Texas based Minnie’s Food Pantry has received a grant from Microsoft’s Nonprofit Tech Acceleration for Black and African American Communities Program. The program is bolstered by Microsoft’s overall commitment to finding new ways to combat racial injustice, the Tech for Social Impact team is utilizing Microsoft’s technology and services to provide minority-focused nonprofits the critical services and support at a local community level that is needed to drive change. Minnie’s does much more than simply supply food to and for Collin Country residents.Founder Cheryl “Action” Jackson has brought smiles and dignity to the residents they served. Each time the doors to the pantry are opened, a line is formed on the red carpet and service is delivered to match.
Beyond providing food security, Minnies caters to the whole person. In 2015, Minnie’s Learning Lab was created to offer client educational training programs in an effort to help transform lives. Under the grant, Minnie’s Food Pantry will receive licenses for Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Business 365 Business Premium for its staff, consulting services, and a host of technological resources aimed at strengthening its data infrastructure.
The global pandemic of 2020 forced Minnie’s to adapt to the many challenges facing their best efforts. The evolution didn’t hinder efforts, rather it expanded the scope of the work done by the food pantry. “The technology partnership with Microsoft enables Minnie’s Food Pantry to do just that. We can now offer a state-of-the-art platform to host our classes remotely anywhere in the country.” (Cheryl Jackson, Founder, Minnie’s Food Pantry)