TPF Ambassador: Liz Simpson
The Patachou Foundation Ambassadors are dedicated leaders in Indianapolis who are making a direct impact on Indianapolis children suffering from hunger and food insecurity by raising money to support one of the schools we serve.
Liz is a native Hoosier and loves working in Indianapolis and serving her community. "I am an only child. I lost my father while I was in graduate school and moved back to Indy to be close to my mother. In school, I didn’t plan on moving back to Indianapolis (I went to school in Boston), but it’s the best decision I made for myself," says Liz.Why did you decide to become an Ambassador for The Patachou Foundation? I believe in what The Patachou Foundation stands for... actually I believe in Martha Hoover, too, and how she has changed the restaurant industry. Also, I worked at School 15 as a bilingual kindergarten teaching assistant as my first job after college and it changed my life. I wouldn’t we aware of some of the conditions in which people in our community live in if I hadn’t worked there.What about The Patachou Foundation's mission connects with you? What speaks to me is that The Patachou Foundation wants real food available to everyone regardless of where they live. Your zip code determines a lot of things, unfortunately, but your ability to have a basic need met should not be one of them.Do you have any stories to share about your time as an Ambassador so far?I think my favorite story about being an ambassador is that recently I was at a workshop about something totally different than The Patachou Foundation and two of the people I met there have already donated to my fundraiser. One of them donated that same day and that means so much to me!What's your favorite food memory?When I was little my mom, dad, and I went to visit my great-grandmother and my parents went out for the day and my great grandma asked if she could make me anything different for lunch. She asked if I had ever had salmon croquettes and I hadn’t. So she made them for me and her, and I asked her questions about her childhood growing up in rural Alabama. Now my mom will make salmon croquettes for me on special occasions. I refuse to learn how to make them! There’s something sacred about having my great-grandma and now my mom make them. Maybe someday when I have kids I’ll learn and them for them.