Trees that Feed
Sep 12, 2018
Mary McLaughlin, Chair Trees That Feed Foundation
Trees that Feed

Mary was professionally trained as a geologist. She worked with the Jamaican Geological Survey and Macho Oil, Dallas, Texas. In her career she has also been a property manager, schoolteacher, and stay-at-home Mom. She started McLaughlin Glazeware in 1996, making high end gifts of enamel and bone china, with prestigious clients including Lyric Opera, Abbott, the White House, and Brooks Brothers.

One morning about 10 years ago, Mary McLaughlin sipped on her morning coffee and reflected, it’s time to do more to help others.  Mary wanted to do more to help those in need of nutrition and a better environment.  Along with her husband Mike and brother Paul Virtue, Trees That Feed Foundation was established in 2008. Operations commenced in earnest in 2009.  Winnetka, Illinois, now serves as operational headquarters for Jamaica, Haiti, and 10 other countries in the Caribbean and Africa.

The mission is planting fruit-bearing trees to feed people, create jobs, and benefit the environment. Trees That Feed Foundation believes that tree crops are a large part of the answer to world food concerns. Tree crops are nutritious, yet require less input of labor, agro chemicals, fertilizers and space than field crops. Trees also restore ecological balance to land damaged by misuse or neglect, capture and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and create habitats for small animals and birds. Planting a tree is a winning bet all around … for decades to come!

Host: Mark Dewart