History

READY, WILLING & ABLE FOUNDERS, GEORGE T. MCDONALD AND HARRIET KARR-MCDONALD

Mama’s Story

The history of The Doe Fund began on Christmas Eve in 1985, when transit police evicted a homeless woman known as “Mama” from Grand Central Terminal. The night brought freezing temperatures. By morning, she had returned to the Terminal, lay on a bench, and passed away from pneumonia.

Mama was one of the hundreds of people George T. McDonald grew close with over 700 consecutive nights, handing out food to those who called the Terminal home. They appreciated his help, but again and again, they told George the same thing: “What I really need is a room and a job to pay for it.”

Mama’s death made George realize that merely providing clothing and food would never create real change. It was in her memory that George founded The Doe Fund, named for the pseudonym authorities used on her death certificate. Together with his wife, Harriet Karr-McDonald — herself moved to action after the death of a homeless girl she had grown close to — they created Ready, Willing & Able to help people rebuild and achieve economic mobility after homelessness and incarceration.

Today, Ready, Willing & Able has connected more than 15,000 people to jobs, housing, or both. In 2023, Jennifer Mitchell became the organization’s President & CEO, bringing with her decades of nonprofit leadership in workforce development — including more than a decade developing The Doe Fund’s programs.