Poverty Patch-Up was founded by Shivani Ramanathan at the age of 13, driven by her deep understanding of the hardships faced by communities experiencing poverty and homelessness. When Shivani turned 7 years old, she was relocated to India where she saw the first hand impacts of poverty. Ever since then, her leadership began at the young age of 7 when she started using her birthday savings to create 25 meals for the homeless, personally distributing them throughout the Bay Area every year. This early experience growed her passion to establish Poverty Patch-Up and lead numerous projects, which have since donated over thousands meals to those in need.

As the founder and Executive Director of Poverty Patch-Up, Shivani has empowered over 14 young leaders globally to establish and grow their own chapters and organizations, all contributing to the fight against poverty and homelessness.