Today, for the "Women's History Month" Project, I am introducing you to this beautiful, fantastic and strong woman
Meet Misty Coolidge, 47, wife, mom of 3, a business owner, writer, Mrs. USA and Mrs. Worldwide, Good Shepherd Food Bank volunteer and currently their brand Ambassador.
I'm a mother of three little ones (Eva & Caden, age 8, and Grace, age 6), wife of 10 yrs (Sept 2023) my hubby Peter, and have grown from the ground up two successful and very busy wedding businesses. The first is a wedding venue, Coolidge Family Farm, and a mobile bar service for weddings, Maine Mixologists, that travels the state serving cocktails with its fleet of vehicles, a Whiskey Girl mobile food truck bar, and her newest Golf Cart bar! My husband and I also own five (5) properties and are looking to grow that over the next few years with the acquisition of a second venue and other subsidiary ventures!
I've been a Hunger Activist for over a decade but most recently in the past five years I've been living and breathing the fight against hunger. The NEED is so real right now. Now more than ever. Way bigger than at the height of Covid in fact.
I'm the reigning Mrs. Worldwide for the Worldwide USA Pageant system (crowned in July 2022) and I'm on a huge mission. I was named the Ambassador for the Good Shepherd Food Bank (their first ever!) and volunteer there often. I have my own page on their website sharing my #crushinghunger tour across the country. When I was Mrs. USA last year I set a personal goal for myself to visit and volunteer in food banks in all 50 STATES (on my own dime)!!! I started in July 2021 when I won my USA Ambassador title and just wrapped up my 28th state of Mississippi at the end of February. It's been quite the journey! Below is the link to the Good Shepherd page so you can see all that I've done (I don't believe they have my complete journey on there yet so keep checking back!).
In addition to all of that, I do a TON more including hosting annual fundraisers at my wedding venue, Coolidge Family Farm, including creating a "Running of the Bride's 5K for Hunger" in October (runners wear wedding dresses!) that's been 'running' for several years. This past year I co-hosted my first "Flowers that Feed" Art & Runway Show which was a HUGE success and we're looking forward to this years Show on May 13th. Having walked three years in a row at New York Fashion Week, fashion is a secondary passion of mine (my mom Brenda is a lifelong seamstress and an emerging designer), so I was able to recruit designers from all over the country to participate in the upcoming show.
I collaborated with a local brewery this past summer to brew a philanthropic beer called "FEED ME", a Maine blueberry ale in which $1 from every beer sold goes directly to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. This spring I look forward to going back in and doing a relaunch and canning it for the first time!
I just wrote my first book, a children's book, called "We All Stir The Pot....to End Hunger" that was published in November 2022 and benefits Feeding America!! It's on Amazon and had a pre-sale of over 500 books before it even went to print (so blessed) and to-date we're up over 1000. I wanted to create a conversation starter between parents and children about hunger. It covers topics such as where food comes from, how it gets donated, and families that give and families that receive. I've been traveling the state of Maine reaching my book and talking about the realities of hunger to elementary schools and look forward to all the adventures this book will take me on. I'm dreaming of talk shows (like Drew Barrymore, Tamara Hall, and Jennifer Hudson), getting literacy support from Dolly Parton and her Imagination Library mission, and getting my book into every home!
I serve on many non-profit boards who I've encouraged to do continuous food drives at all their meetings and events for the ongoing fight, so I'm always dropping off donations to the GSFB.
I serve on the MSAD #15 School Board, Community Service Chair & Vice President of NACE Maine (National Association of Catering & Events), Member of 100 Women Who Care of Southern Maine, Member of the Maine Women's Network, TBD Connections, Sebago Lakes Chamber of Commerce, and The Coolidge Foundation (I'm related to the 30th President!).
Lastly, for now, I'm also starting a 501c3 so that I can open a soup kitchen in my community to help local families in need. As you can tell by my book and its theme, I LOVE SOUP! It's like a blanket for the soul! :) I've just put an offer in on a piece of property and look forward to seeing that come to life in 2024.
Here is one of Misty's favorite quotes:
"There are women who make things better...simply by showing up.
There are women who make this happen.
There are women who make their way.
There are women who make a difference.
There are women who make us smile.
There are women of wit and wisdom who - through strength and courage - make it through.
There are women who change the world everyday... Women like you."
-Ashley Rice-
*****
You can follow Misty on Instagram
Thank you, Misty, for sharing your story and empowering others!
#womenshistorymonth #womansupportingwomen #womanpower #mainephotographer
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