Helen Kozlowski
She keeps the shelves stocked to feed the hungry of Oakland County
he’s described as persuasive, not pushy — but truth be told, Helen Kozlowski, 44, really doesn’t mind being called the latter.
In the four years since she’s been at the helm of the Food Bank of Oakland County, the executive director has managed to get the 22,000-square-foot warehouse fully racked with sturdy steel shelving, install a new 800-square-foot freezer thanks to a sizable donation from Detroit Edison and 10 Metro Detroit churches, and procure three brand-new trucks from GM (two 18-footers and one 14-foot) to pick up the many donations that come in from across the county.
Even if concern for the hungry and homeless weren’t part of the job description, the executive director of the Food Bank of Oakland County wouldn’t be able to hide her need to help others less fortunate.
“Helen is passionate about making sure the hungry are fed because she understands that without food, no one can achieve personal empowerment, which makes a happy and successful life possible,” says Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.
Kozlowski says she’s “learned two important things in my life. One, it’s important that the more successful you become, the more you need to collaborate with other food banks. You need to increase the diversity to become stronger. Know the different needs, so everyone can be served.”
The other is to be careful when judging others. “There’s so much more to why people are broken and homeless,” she says. “Ask yourself the next time you see someone begging on the street or sleeping in a doorway, ‘What if that were my son or daughter?’ ”
As the oldest of five kids, Kozlowski grew up in Mt. Clemens with plans to become a missionary. But in high school, her love for writing took over, and she quickly learned the power of the pen. Writing was the way she could help people.
“Writing grants is what I love,” says Kozlowski, who previously worked at Pontiac’s Baldwin Center, where she was instrumental in bringing attention to the area’s hunger issue. In addition to her food bank duties, Kozlowski also serves as chair of the United Way of Oakland County’s Emergency Needs Committee, and vice-chair of America’s Second Harvest central region. She is on the board of the Hunger Action Coalition, the Food Bank Council of Michigan. And she still finds time to be a Baldwin Buddy to three disadvantaged children. She’s also the mother of four children – Greg, 23, Mark, 21, Maryhelen, 18, and Mike, 17.
With a staff of 12, the Food Bank of Oakland County currently serves 165 agencies in Metro Detroit and distributed 5.3 million pounds of food last year — an increase of more than 1 million pounds from 1999 and nearly 4 million pounds from 1990. More than 70,000 men, women and children throughout the county were served through the food bank network.
“She gives to people unconditionally and doesn’t expect anything in return except for the personal satisfaction and good feeling that come with helping other fellow human beings,” says friend Barbara Hart of Novi. “She’s the epitome of the Golden Rule.”
But Kozlowski is quick to credit others for her success.
“The love you get from your family is the most important thing. I don’t know how I would have gotten this far without the care and support from my mother and father.”
— Kate Lawson
