We are so proud of all the incredible things that Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has been able to accomplish in the fight to end hunger in our community. However, we recognize that our work does not take place in a vacuum and that we are at our best when we work in collaboration with other nonprofit organizations serving our neighbors in a variety of ways. We have ourselves benefit from our partnership with Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC, sharing in the work where our services overlap, and benefiting from joint advocacy efforts. Beyond that system level partnering, Food Shuttle is constantly learning and evolving systems with our over 200 community partner organizations. Through this myriad of relationships and collaborations, we can offer a network of support that is more comprehensive, holistic, and well-informed than any one organization could offer alone. We are truly grateful for the other amazing nonprofit organizations in our community.
This is why we are so honored when members of our Food Shuttle family are recognized as leaders in the nonprofit sector and have opportunities to serve and mentor others in this field. Recently, both Ron Pringle, our President and CEO, and Kara Guido Siek, our Food Sourcing Specialist are sharing their learnings and experiences at conferences centered around nonprofit organizations. Ron has been invited to be a co-presenter at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits Conference while Kara was a co-presenter at Feeding America’s Feed Nourish Connect Conference.
In his presentation, “The ROI of Strategic Planning: Preparing Your Team, Board, and Partners for Significant Growth in Revenue and Impact in the Next 12 Months”, Ron will share about his experiences with strategic planning at the Food Shuttle and how others can use these same principles to grow their own organizations. He will be joined by co-presenter Teri Beckham, Founder and CEO of High Impact Oriented Leaders (HIGOL), on November 2nd at the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits Conference.
Ron shares, “We are stronger as a movement when we share our expertise and learnings with one another. After all, we share a common goal – making our communities a better place for our neighbors.”
Kara teamed up with Terri Luna of the Hawaii Food Bank to share about more successful donor visits and how to maximize relationships with each food retailer. Their presentation took place in August at the Food Sourcing Learning Lab during Feeding America’s Feed Nourish Connect Conference, which is tailored for nonprofit team members with roles related to food sourcing, operations, agency relations, programs, and technology. Kara has also had the opportunity to serve as a mentor for four other food banks within the Feeding America network and plans to continue this work into 2024.
Kara (pictured above with Amy Kosar, Senior Manager of Food Sourcing Services at Feeding America) explains, “I wanted give back to the network, and nurture other professionals the way I have benefited. We are a system of doers, of dreamers, of problem solvers. It excites me to think of others working across the country with the same commitment we have here at the Food Shuttle.”
These valuable and insightful presentations will help other organizations serve their communities more effectively. We are so grateful for Ron and Kara’s contributions to the Food Shuttle and for their excellence and leadership in the larger nonprofit sector!