Children are our most valuable natural resource.

— Herbert Hoover

If we don’t stand up for children, then we don’t stand for much.

— Marian Wright Edelman

Frank Richards, president and chief executive officer of America’s Second Harvest of South Georgia Inc., was recently honored with a Big Voice for Children Award. He was one of seven people recognized across Georgia for his outstanding work as an advocate for kids in the area.

As David Gibbs, a board member for Voices for Georgia’s Children, a nonprofit organization, said, “Frank doesn’t stand around waiting for others to do something. He’s the first to say, ‘I’ll do that.’”

At the age of 21, Frank Richards became leader of America’s Second Harvest of South Georgia Inc., an organization that serves a 10-county area and looks forward to the day when every American has quick and easy access to safe food in a clean and nurturing environment.

Under his leadership, America’s Second Harvest of South Georgia Inc. has raised over $70 million and distributed over 60 million pounds of food to hungry men, women and children across South Georgia. Knowing that nearly 1 out of every 4 of the people eating at a soup kitchen in Georgia is a child and recognizing that school lunch programs are the only meals for many poor children, Frank Richards established the Kids Café program.

This program serves free and nutritious meals to more than 1,300 children after school at 22 locations in the area. Plus, it provides each child one hour of homework assistance. Kids Café also feeds more than 4,000 children three meals a day throughout the summer and during school breaks.

Recently, Frank Richards established Teacher's Harvest, a school supply store that provides much-needed supplies for children attending school who cannot afford them.

South Georgia’s children are fortunate to have a man like Frank Richards working for them. He is not afraid to think outside the box and take risks, if he believes doing so will help better the life of a child. If he gets frustrated, he perseveres because he knows that a solution is out there.

He knows that the children are the future, and he works tirelessly to help ensure that the future is a bright one for all of us.