Maria Ruiz, an El Paso native, knows life across the border. She knows how much a 30-minute drive can change the landscape. 

“Just by crossing the border, you’re in a Third World country,” Maria said, as she eyes the wooden pallets that are called homes and the makeshift elementary schools. For the last 12 years, she’s taken this trip to bring aid to hundreds of poor families.

“My heart went out to those kids,” says Ruiz “I couldn’t just cross my arms and turn away from it. I needed to do something.”

Ruiz received donations from local El Paso businesses and within a short period, she was running a food program out of her home. She prepared meals in her kitchen and drove the food south to the nearest school in Juarez.

She fed on average 200 children every day for over 3 years but soon, the businesses she depended on, shut down. But that didn’t deter her. She then began working with businesses surrounding El Paso and created a local “giveaway” several times a month, donating food, clothing and furniture.

Juarez was also voted by CNN as one of 10 Top Heroes of 2008.

Another brilliant example of a woman making big change with little resources and a lot of hope.

Source: CNN