Tom Thiets with Meals From The Heart

  Saint Paul, MN

March 2017

 As a member of Second Harvest Heartland’s community engagement team, I have the opportunity to work with community members looking to make a difference for those facing hunger. From hosting fundraisers to engaging with us via events and campaigns, our supporters greatly contribute to our mission of ending hunger together. In my role, I get to work directly with these groups to figure out how they can get involved and share with them the impact their engagement has on people right here in the Midwest.

The most exciting part of my job is getting to see the impact our supporters make on hunger through the various ways they choose to engage with our work. Every $1 donated to Second Harvest Heartland can provide 3 meals, so getting to watch our partners come together to provide tens or hundreds or thousands of meals to those we support is truly an honor. I feel grateful for the opportunity to witness so much good happening in the hunger-relief world.

Community. One of the pillars of our organization’s mission is we are all in this together. Supporting those facing hunger in Minnesota simply wouldn’t be possible without the partnerships we have – from the farmers, manufacturers and retailers who supply the food that comes through our warehouse to the donors, volunteers and advocates who lift up our mission in very hands-on ways to the network of nearly 1,000 agency partners and meal programs throughout our service area who directly support people experiencing hunger. Our organization is rooted in the knowledge that hunger can’t be solved alone, so we must work together.

Reading. I’ve loved books since the time I could hold one in my hands and now I treasure the free time I have as an adult to get lost in a story.

The people we and our partners support inspire me. The last two years have brought about so much change for so many people, and we’re seeing a lot of Minnesotans needing to access food assistance for the very first time in their lives. It can be difficult to ask for help, so I’m inspired by the folks who know what they need and turn to the hunger-relief network for help.

It’s a toss-up between two: peanut butter and cheese. I generally believe that these are two foods that have the power to take any dish to the next level. (I wouldn’t, however, recommend they be combined!)

My perfect day can take many different forms, but it must contain connection and time for myself. Connection may look like meeting a loved one for coffee or playing a card game with my husband. Time for myself often includes exercise, reading or taking a bath – and the very best day usually contains all three!

Those closest to me have described me as passionate, thoughtful and driven – characteristics that come into play every day in my role at Second Harvest Heartland.