At first glance, longtime Atlantan Allison Hill may appear to be just another accomplished executive in marketing and finance.
But her passions transcend balance sheets and board rooms. She’s a mom, storyteller and staunch advocate for a workplace and a world that are more inclusive and compassionate.
Hill has felt this way since high school, when she forged a deep connection with the daughter of her favorite teacher, Sherri Mills Hubbard. As Hill got to know 5-year-old Nikki, who has Down syndrome, she realized the girl was not defined by her disability but by the sweetness and love she radiated.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
That—along with her mother’s example of kindness first —put Hill on a lifetime path of doing good for others, whether it was raising money as a teen for Easter Seals, a national charity devoted to helping the disabled, or taking her two daughters with her to deliver food to those in need.
“At a young age, I just realized there’s so much good to do for others, and why not try to do that as much as you can,” Hill said.
Five years ago, Hill, a Cornell University graduate, changed her work focus from marketing. Today, she leads a private equity firm’s social impact initiatives, including diversity, inclusion and philanthropy.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
But her true spirit really shined bright in the lockdown days of 2020. She and her family packed for a getaway with her parents in Maine, thinking the disruption from the pandemic might last two weeks, not months.
“But there was a lot of sadness,” said Hill, whose daughters Chauncey and Cristina were 18 and 16 at the time. “Prom was being canceled. Graduation was being canceled. And then you are looking on TV and you see the drone video of the Austin food bank with all these people out of work through no fault of their own.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Allison Hill
Credit: Photo courtesy of Allison Hill
As a mom, she was looking for a distraction and a way the family could help others during that terrible time. Hill called a family meeting, so they could hash out options for what they could do. The family eventually voted to produce a cookbook and give all proceeds to charity. Everyone had a part. Hill was one of the cooks. Sixteen-year-old Cristina did the photography for the book. Hill’s dad was the taste tester.
Hill’s daughters loved the finished product, which sold enough copies to provide 100,000 plus meals through Feeding America, hence, the cookbook name, “Feeding Family, Feeding America.”
“They are so happy they did it and didn’t just rot away playing X-box or something,” Hill said. “It was a lot of work, but they never gave up.”
The family of four spun this into a nonprofit, “Eat Laugh Give,” in 2022 and decided to pour themselves and some of their money into following Allison Hill’s strong belief in the power of shared meals and personal connections.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Allison Hill
Credit: Photo courtesy of Allison Hill
This year, with help from the Atlanta nonprofit Agape Youth & Family Center, Hill selected four low-income families to receive free kitchen renovations, from new cabinets and appliances to backsplashes and countertops, through her “Heart of the Home” initiative.
Nell Benn, Agape’s chief executive officer, said Hill made each family a part of the project. She sat down with them, listening to their needs and asking for their input on paint colors and other design choices.
“The families are extremely grateful,” Benn said. “A couple of the moms cried. They were so thankful and grateful.”
And Hill’s still going strong.
In May, her children’s book, “Lolly the Left Out Lobster,” goes on sale through local and national booksellers. She said she penned the book to captivate children’s minds with Lolly’s adventures while planting in them seeds of acceptance with empathy, compassion and understanding.
English and journalism teacher Sherri Mills Hubbard keeps up with her former students, including Hill, through Facebook. She said she is not surprised that Hill is following her passion for helping others.
She remembers that when Hill was on the student council, she helped organize a group of students who volunteered weekly to go play with children at a daycare center for developmentally delayed youngsters.
“Once you do it, you get those warm and fuzzy feelings—that feeling you get when you are helping others,” Hubbard said. “It’s just a rewarding thing, and Allison caught that.”
HOW TO HELP
To learn more about the Hill family’s nonprofit go to Eat Laugh Give at eatlaughgive.com.
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