Mackenzie Hinson received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on Wednesday as she flew with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in advance of Wings over Wayne Airshow.  The U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ #7, Lcdr Thomas Zimmerman, flew Mackenzie Hinson, 18, of Mt. Olive in the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

 Hinson was chosen for the prestigious Hometown Hero honor and flight because of the work she has done in North Carolina to establish the Make a Difference Food Pantry to fight hunger. Mackenzie established the food pantry in 2015 when she was just 10 years old and has since distributed 6.8 million pounds of food and served 4.1 million meals, including in response to Hurricanes Harvey and Matthew.  

📸 Photos courtesy of Craig Ladd