Denise Skidmore working in her garden.

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In late 2004 Denise Skidmore read an article about children whose only food came from their schools. These chronically hungry children didn’t have access to food at home.

“It really pulled on my heart strings, but I thought there weren’t hungry children in my community because my kids grew up in these schools and I would have heard about it,” Denise said. “So I started asking teachers, principals, bus drivers and anyone I came into contact with, and they all told me stories about children in my community who did not have enough food to eat.

“I knew I couldn’t leave that undone.”

Denise is the indirect material planner at Trane Technologies Trane Commercial HVAC business in Clarksville, Tennessee. She’s also the founder of Fuel for Kids, a nonprofit organization that provides free meals to hungry children discreetly and with their dignity intact.

Denise did the legwork to get Fuel for Kids off the ground in 2004, forming partnerships with 70 Clarksville churches and businesses who signed on to independently fund and pack meals – she calls them fuel cells. The meals are distributed to 2,300 students in the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System.

How does she do it? Find out in the Q&A below:

How do you manage running a nonprofit in addition to working full time?

This is what I do after work and during my lunch hour. The minute I leave the parking lot my mind is on Fuel for Kids. I write thank you notes at night – every night, seven nights a week. During the pandemic, I’m working 14-hour days between Trane Technologies and the nonprofit. I spend Saturdays packing meals with the other volunteers. It just doesn’t stop!

Why is it so important to you that children have enough food to eat?

Some children go without food starting from lunchtime on Friday until breakfast on Monday morning. That’s 67 hours without food. After 48 hours without food, children’s brain cells start to degenerate.

Because of Fuel partners and volunteers, we’ve seen graduation rates increase and children become excited to go to school because they know they’ll be fed. When children have enough food to eat we see less juvenile crime and reduced gang activity.

The success of these children is important to you. Why?

I care about my community and the companies and organizations in it. I’ve lived here for more than 30 years and I’ve witnessed tremendous growth. We’ve come a long way to make sure children are being educated, but if we’re not meeting their basic needs, they won’t be successful.

Ready to make a difference and create a great impact with others? At Trane Technologies, we boldly go. Explore our opportunities and open jobs.