Tag: Food Banker

Food Banker Spotlight | Chelsea Forbes-Terry

June 5, 2017

Meet Chelsea Forbes-Terry, Volunteer Services Coordinator

What does a typical day at the Food Bank look like for you?

My day starts out with finding out the incoming volunteer projects for the day and reviewing the needs of our Operations team. At 9am I’m greeted with our first volunteer group of the day and then one-two more volunteer groups spread throughout the workday. I get the honor of leading all of our volunteers through the warehouse and telling the story and history of our Food Bank and our Volunteer Program. I get to spend the rest of my day coordinating with groups and individuals interested in coming to volunteer and helping to ensure everyone has an amazing experience.

What’s your favorite thing about working at the Food Bank?

My favorite thing about working at the Food Bank is all the wonderful and interesting people I get to meet every day who are just as passionate and concerned about the growing population of those struggling with hunger as we are. When I’m not surrounded by people from outside the Food Bank, I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by the people who work inside the Food Bank and who are amongst the most hardworking and dedicated people I have ever met.

Have you been personally impacted by your experience at the Food Bank?

All the time! I can be out and about in the city wearing my Food Bank gear and almost always someone will come up to me and comment on the great experience they had volunteering here with their family or company, or just by themselves. Seeing people in the community excited about helping others is the foundation of who I am and why I love working in Volunteer Services here at the Food Bank.

What motivates you to do what you do?

It’s not the what – it’s the who! Volunteers motivate me every day because their commitment to ending the fight against hunger is what keeps our operations moving. Each day I am able to remind myself through introducing volunteers to San Francisco-Marin Food Bank of what we do, how we do it, and why it’s so important. To me volunteerism means doing good things for good people, and the fact that over 40,000 people a year give up time from their busy lives to create a positive impact for all in our community is the ultimate form of motivation.

What’s something people might not know about you?

I’m an obsessive NFL fan and an amateur chef who geeks out every time I step foot in Sur La Table.

Tell us your best joke.

What lives in apples and is an avid reader? A bookworm

For more on Chelsea’s work, visit the Volunteer home page here.

 

Food Banker Spotlight | Nalleli Martinez-Prieto

April 19, 2017

Meet Nalleli Martinez-Prieto, Senior Nutrition Education Coordinator

What does a typical day at the Food Bank look like for you?

When asked this question, I can honestly say there is no “typical day” within Nutrition Education. Our work encompasses such a wide array of programming. One day I can be updating signs with nutrition tips on our shop floor in San Francisco, the next I might be in Marin leading a class about whole grains for seniors, and the following day I’m at a San Francisco school leading a kid’s class about “eating the rainbow.” However, I can say that a typical day always includes some form of communication, not only with the community, but in the community, and that to me is gold!

What’s your favorite thing about working at the Food Bank?

Being constantly present in the community. I’ve never been a fan of sitting behind a desk, so frequently engaging in two-way learning with community members is what I appreciate the most. I like having the opportunity to create empowering environments for our class participants to help them elevate the skills they already have. When I get to witness their success in trying a new food or preparing a new meal, I know I’ve succeeded.

Have you been personally impacted by your experience at the Food Bank?

I grew up in a food desert and never really knew it. My neighborhood was surrounded by every fast food option you can think of and only one grocery store within walking distance from home. My mom didn’t drive back then and getting fresh food was always a mission. Back then, I never considered what a food bank could do for us, but now that I know, I’m an advocate for the work that we do. The Food Bank is a bridge that gives people the opportunity to struggle less. My family had limited access to healthy food and little to no knowledge of what “healthy” was, and so I now strive to  share with others the valuable resources that are available that I wish my family knew about. The Food Bank has shown me how to be a passionate advocate for the work that I do, and it’s one of the reasons that I enjoy serving the community.

What motivates you to do what you do?

The small successes experienced every day by our class participants and agency partners motivate me. Nutrition is such a personal topic, which is so important for me to acknowledge every time I step out into the community. For example, in a previous class, I had a participant share that she used to drink three sodas a day and she accomplished the goal of reducing that to one. Change looks very different for each individual, and when I can encourage that change, it motivates me to continue doing what I do.

What’s something people might not know about you?

I know that some people already know this about me, but I’m a gamer.  It’s a big part of my self-care. I make sure to set some time aside each year to attend gaming expos. I love the nature of immersive storytelling that can be experienced via gaming and if you’re ever interested in chatting about it, come find me!

Tell us your best joke.

I’m not a fan of jokes, but can I share my favorite quote? “May you live every day of your life.” — Jonathan Swift