This interview with Patty Stonesifer, chief executive of Martha’s Table, a provider of food and clothing for low-income people, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.
Q. What were some early influences for you?
A. I’m the sixth of nine children. The most notable things about my family were that my parents had to achieve order at scale, and they were extremely community-oriented.
My dad was a sales manager for an auto dealership, and yet he found time on the way home to pick up excess food from the local grocery markets and repurpose it for those who needed food. We participated in the soup kitchen. He drove a bus for the deaf children who were coming to Sunday Mass. This idea of being part of a team really defined my childhood.
Any thoughts on how your birth order shaped you?
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