Last year MvM hit the headlines after a newborn baby was deposited in the foundling drawer that the organisation maintains in the district of Borgerhout. It was the second case since 2009; in both cases, the baby had recently been born to an unknown mother and left in the drawer. In both cases, the babies went into foster care.

The organisation was launched when a social worker in Verdickt’s neighbourhood asked if she had any old baby clothes she could do without. In fact she did, but “to my surprise there didn’t exist any services that provided necessities for children, though there was one for adults,” she told the magazine Veto in 2000.

MvM doesn’t only concern itself with foundlings, of whom there are very few cases. The organisation also provides clothes and equipment, like buggies and cribs, to low-income families, as well as a place to come regularly for a warm meal or to give baby a bath – things most of us take for granted, but which are still not within reach for some of the most disadvantaged.

The jury described her as someone “with her heart in the right place, and who is not afraid to speak out”. She was described as “the driving force behind MvM, which takes care of people who have slipped through the fragile social safety net.”

Verdickt dedicated the award to the 150 volunteers who work with her organisation. Mayor Bart De Wever said: “As far as I’m concerned, she could even be Antwerpenaar of the Century.”

Last year’s winner was choreographer Sihame El Kaouakibi, who runs the dance school Let’s Go Urban. The award is given out annually by the Gazet van Antwerpen, regional TV station ATV and Radio 2.