Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Carol learned early about need. Her father was stricken by tuberculosis when she was ten, and for two years he remained in a sanitarium; his wife and three children nearly lost everything. "The milkman brought us shoes and the 'Santa Claus girls' gave us presents at Christmas," Carol says. And, yet, despite hard circumstances, Carol's family continued to help those in need.

Mustard Seed Founder Carol Kane Adulthood brought even greater challenges for Carol. Widowed young and left with five children to raise alone, she moved to Central Florida in 1978. Here she waitressed, did pedicures, and volunteered at homeless shelters. It was a way for her to see her wounds as a gift. "I believe nothing happens in our lives without reason;' for me to better understand the pain of others. I had to experience what I did."

As a volunteer at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, Christian Service Center, Daily Bread, and the Cold Night Program, she was elated when she located affordable apartments for the homeless families. But she soon discovered a painful reality. "I brought these people to their new homes and realized they had absolutely nothing to put in them. A mother didn't have a can opener to open a can of food, let alone a pan to warm the food in. There were no beds for the kids. They would all huddle up on the floor with just an old jacket spread over them. I couldn't walk away from that.

Carol knew a home meant more than a cluster of rooms; it meant cozy furniture, fresh towels, dishes that matched, and a jumble of toys. The first family she helped set up a household was a single mother with three little boys. The young mother couldn't read or write and suffered from epilepsy. Carol persuaded neighbors and churches to donate beds, dishes, a sofa. Even a used car. With this first success, she found her calling and the Mustard Seed Furniture Bank was born. "My original goal was to help one family a month by setting up an entire household."

While immersing herself in family and work, she met her future husband, John. After they were married, Carol's passion for helping the homeless continued to grow, and John became her enthusiastic partner. When their garage overflowed with couches and chairs, she moved the furnishings to a rented space. She called everyone she knew to donate goods, and persuaded hotels to give her furniture after their remodels. Furniture stores gave her chairs and tables and clothing stores donated closeouts. John and her sons drove the truck to pick up donations and make deliveries to the families in need.

Today, the Mustard Seed Furniture Bank has grown from helping one family a month to thousands of individuals each year. Families that include people like Yolanda, a migrant worker with five children, who now works as Carol's warehouse manager. And T. J., who volunteers at the warehouse. "I came to Carol in a wheelchair with three children to care for by myself and a big need for clothes for them. I needed a shoulder to cry on, too. Carol gave me both. She even came to my mobile home and helped me fix the floor so I wouldn't keep falling through it,"

In 1992, Carol was nominated for a Jefferson award, an award that recognizes exemplary volunteer service. Out of the 40,000 who were nominated nationally, Carol was one of five winners. As one of America's "Unsung Heroes," she continues to not only touch, but also help turn around, the lives of thousands of people each year.