Interviews

 

Dawn Watson - QUALITATIVE RESEARCH SPECIALIST

1. What does a typical day look like? 

I am a qualitative research specialist at the Central PA Food Bank. My day is usually structured around planning for survey data collection, which we do in person at food pantries a few times per year as part of our Community Hunger Mapping Project. If we are not currently surveying, I am evaluating survey results and contributing to the writing of our Hunger Mapping Reports, which have been completed in 6 counties so far. We are currently working on the report for Dauphin County. This week I have been writing about how people experiencing homelessness interact with charitable food services like food pantries and soup kitchens.

2. What inclined you to begin at the Central PA Food Bank? 

I was halfway through my MSW at Millersville University when this job opportunity became available, and I was really excited to work with my supervisor, Zach Zook, because I had met him briefly on a zoom call about a research project Dr. Jen Frank was contributing to for the Food Bank. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use my skills as a researcher and social worker to contribute to finding better solutions to address food insecurity.

3. What do you think is fulfilling about the work you do?  

First of all, I work with fantastic coworkers in the Impact, Policy & Research team. We take this work seriously and produce a lot of information that our organization uses to advocate for more funding from the state, support policies that help people meet their needs, and change the culture of charitable food to be neighbor-centered and trauma-informed. I have met dozens of dedicated food pantry coordinators and volunteers who are so excited to talk about their work and the successes and challenges they experience.

4. How has your perspective changed over the course of your work there? 

If anything, my belief in the good work that an involved community can accomplish has increased as a result of the people I have met over the past two years. But! They do need the access to the resources (usually money) in order to make and sustain change.

5. Are there any difficulties that stand out to you? 

One difficulty is that some systems are very slow to change, and I wish those changes could happen more quickly. Additionally, it is VERY difficult to maintain and update a list of food pantries and available services for all 27 counties we serve. If it is frustrating for me, then it is also frustrating for neighbors seeking assistance, which is not fair.

Rebecca Fisher - FOOD SOURCING TEAMMEMBER

1. What does a typical day look like? 

I work in 2 programs within the Food Sourcing team; the Retail Donation Program and the Farm Donation Program. I have 2 types of days, in office and on the road. In office I am in meetings, making calls to retail stores, our agencies, or farms.  I work on boring but necessary stuff like documenting outcomes, updating databases, researching sources of food, pulling reports, creating documents and trying to keep up with all the calls and emails I get from our donors(stores or farms)/ agencies asking for help in either of those programs. An agency can be a pantry, a after school program, a senior center, a rehab facility, a soup kitchen, or a shelter, etc. 

On the road I am:

• visiting retail stores to either recognize the staff, train retail staff on what is acceptable to donate (or not), on food safety (for example: please don’t donate raw meat and stack that on top of produce) and to educate them more about the overall program and their partnered agency to build an emotional buy in. Basically, I try to get them to safely donate good stuff and to care. Tall order when they are already slammed, and normally understaffed.  

• I am visiting our agencies to get a better idea of their operations and their capacity so I can find them sources of food that fit their needs. Every agency is unique. 

• Visiting farms to see if there is an opportunity for them to be part of our farm Program.

2. What inclined you to begin at the Central PA Food Bank? 

My grandparents, along with several other couples, started the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Harrisburg  in the 1970s, now called the Harrisburg Area Food Pantry. I grew up volunteering there, basically from walking age to 17. My family also became a recipient of donations from this pantry for a few years because my mom suffered a medical emergency when I was 5, which led to financial troubles. Right out of college I was struggling to cover all my expenses, and I utilized the Lancaster Co Food Hub a few times. I think being on both sides of the pantry line gave me a foundation to be interested in this work, but my degree is in Anthropology with a focus in Food Studies and Ag so I think it was just a natural path for me to take. Prior to the food bank I worked in the restaurant business, had my own food business, worked on farms, and worked for local food manufacturers. At the beginning of 2021 decided to go a different direction with my skill set because I felt like something was missing, I felt like I wasn’t making any positive change in the world.

3. What do you think is fulfilling about the work you do?  

Ultimately, it’s fulfilling to know I am part of a system that makes sure people eat that day.  I have a somewhat unique position in that the work I do directly affects the neighbors visiting pantries to get food. I partner stores directly with pantries, make sure food safety standards are in place and collect / analyze data, but I only play a small role. Once I have established the relationship between the donor and the pantry, the pantry goes directly to the store to pick up donations of food that are close to expiration, then sort it and give it out that day at their pantry. It’s a feat of logistics and takes tons of volunteers. Seeing how many people are involved, and everything it takes so that food isn’t wasted and that folks are fed, is pretty cool. Working with farms is equally fulfilling because the pantry gets ultra fresh and healthy product, and CPFB reimburses farmers for their product, so we get to support PA farmers too. 

 

4. How has your perspective changed over the course of your work there? 

I have learned this kind of work is a long game: major, lasting change takes time, especially when the food related bills and funding we rely on is not in our control. You have to learn how to adapt to change, FAST. I’ve learned to look for other social organizations to partner with to pool resources and create a bigger impact.  For example, I am collaborating with the Lancaster Co PSE Master Gardener program to develop a Community Garden Donation Program called Adopt A Pantry to get even more fresh food to pantries. Lastly, to survive the emotional toll this work can have, I have learned to visit pantries and refill my cup by seeing the direct results of my efforts. I do this to meet the people on the ground level doing the work. Seeing their selfless hard work, enthusiasm and ingenuity always inspires me.

5. Are there any difficulties that stand out to you? 

The stigma and myths surrounding utilizing food pantries is a pretty big hurdle to overcome. Americans have a very independent mindset and have been socialized to not accept “hand outs”, or other such sayings. Even as a college graduate, having all the experience I had serving neighbors and receiving food in the past, I still had a feeling of shame and embarrassment when I visited the Lancaster Co Food Hub. In my mind, I was a failure because I couldn’t find a job that paid enough to cover all my essentials; now I realize that wasn’t my fault, that the problem was (and still is) a combo of greater issues at play, such as unfair wages, and a high cost of living (at the time the US was is a recession, although it’s not looking so great right now either, the US food insecurity system is recording the highest numbers of people visiting pantries) . 

Because of the conditioning I mentioned, people don’t openly talk about their struggles with food insecurity, and I don’t think people even understand food insecurity doesn’t mean you’re not actively starving; it is a sliding scale. It means skipping meals, or a parent not eating dinner so their kids can or buying really cheap food because you can’t afford anything else, or yes, not eating much for days. I think many more people would realize they are actually experiencing food insecurity too, and that it can happen to anyone, sometimes overnight with one life changing event, if it wasn’t so taboo to discuss, or so misunderstood. 

 The myths are all part of the stigma, that only “certain people” use food pantries, and that for some reason they aren’t as deserving, or that people are just taking advantage of the system. The truth is that in our 27-county service territory, the majority of (80%) neighbors receiving food from pantries are employed full time, veterans, or folks with disabilities /seniors living on a fixed income. In my opinion, these are the victims of a system that does not prioritize the wellbeing of their citizens.

Maria D’Isabella - N/A

1. What does a typical day look like? 

Every day is different!  From Zoom meetings to in person meetings, connecting/coaching my team, calls with partners, visits to partners, emails, problem solving, and everything in between! 

2. What inclined you to begin at the Central PA Food Bank? 

I taught in an elementary school for 17 years which I loved.  I burnt out and I left teaching to work a summer on a vegetable farm.  I had read the book American Wasteland, and I was hoping to start gleaning efforts in Lancaster where I live.  I eventually landed at the Food Distribution Center at Community Action Partnership in Lancaster.  I worked so closely with Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, and I wanted to expand my reach.  I started here 10 years ago as the Agency Services Training Coordinator.  I moved on to a manager position and I’m now the Senior Agency Services Manager overseeing traditional partners in 14 of our 27 counties. 

3. What do you think is fulfilling about the work you do?  

As I commute every day from Lancaster to Harrisburg, I’m honored and humbled every time that I see our trucks on the road.  With each truckload, we are delivering food to our partners who in turn distribute food to neighbors in need. It feels good to help one family at a time! 

4. How has your perspective changed over the course of your work there? 

The intensity of the need continues to grow.  The total pounds of food that we distributed 10 years ago to now has doubled.  We distributed over 64 million pounds of food last year! Food is a basic need and a basic right.  Underlying causes of food insecurity is poverty which is multidimensional. More than food is needed to support families to achieve self-sufficiency.  We are honored to partner with so many agencies conducting wrap around services which is moving the needle.   

5. Are there any difficulties that stand out to you? 

Federal programs aren’t meeting the need for families and the charitable food network is trying to fill the void with limited resources.