The beginning….
“The birth of OPIF came from my mother…” Says Founder E.Michelle Valdes
When I was young, my mother and I had times we needed to get in the lines for food, shoes, and other things we needed. Other times we came back to those same lines to volunteer our time and help cook the meals and help pass out items to other people in need. My mother had a grateful heart; she would say “Michelle always help people and give back”. She always made sure to do random acts of “Paying it Forward”.
When she passed away from cancer 2005, I was lost… in 2006 I had someone tell me “Once person at a time Michelle”. I knew then that I can honor my mother and find purpose in continuing to help people who need it. I started by random acts and found that others in our community wanted to be a part of the mission to make a difference one person at a time. Operation Pay It Forward became official in 2018 and we have been growing our efforts every year!
