“I would say about six years ago,” she said. “It was a pretty quick transition for me.”

Helping Sloan in her volunteer efforts is Linda Merkle, the sole chef of the Vegan Cafe.

Merkle said she and Sloan met about a year ago while both were volunteering.

Merkle not only does the cooking at the cafe, but offers to share her vegan knowledge with others.

The reason behind the volunteer offerings of the cafe is the Thanks Jordan Foundation, 130 E. Eighth St., Lockport, which was founded by Sloan. She said the foundation is a way of raising money for Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn.

“The money goes to the top 10 poverty-stricken families of Hope Children’s Hospital,” Merkle said.

Sloan’s background directly affects her efforts today.      http:// www.thanksjordan.org.