Career Connection: Food Program Coordinator

Of the many options of what schools can do with produce from their gardens, one is to donate some or all of it to a local food bank. We always encourage having students taste what they grew, but what about the extra food produced? This Career Connection focuses on the people who receive donated food from numerous sources, including school gardens, and, in turn, distribute it to those in their community who need free (to them), local, fresh and nutritious produce.

Name: Jonathan McDaniel
Organization: Cooperative Christian Ministry (CCM)
Position: Food Program Coordinator

Q. Explain your career.  
A. I distribute free food to members of our community in housing crises, with the intent of mitigating the impact of their grocery bills and restoring them to stable living or self-sufficiency. This is primarily through CCM’s food pantry in Concord, where we serve more than 1,000 families each month.

Q. Describe your career path.  
A. Throughout my college experience, I was aimless and lacked any semblance of a long-term plan. At the time, my passions revolved around my newfound Christian faith and fiction writing (neither of which are conventionally wise foundations for a career). So, my “professional life” consisted of sporadic job-hopping from one place to another for several years. I began volunteering at CCM in that period of wandering, and found the nonprofit space rewarding, particularly in meeting people of diverse backgrounds and incredibly unique life stories. It was the ideal environment for the expression of my faith – providing encouragement and practical support to my neighbors – while also inspiring and developing me as an individual. From volunteering, I accepted the offer to join CCM’s staff.

Q. How important are math, science and communication skills to finding success in your field?
A. All three areas are crucial to the Food Program’s operation. Math skills (algebra and statistics) contribute to a reliable inventory, not only in record-keeping, but also the projection of figures which ensure donations entrusted to us are responsibly stewarded and waste is reduced. Familiarity with nutrition science allows for educating our clientele on food types, providing tools for healthier dietary practices and reducing the harm caused by food swamps. Ultimately communication is the most important skill required for this career, as one must be willing and able to dialogue with all social demographics – from a motivated retiree to a despairing teen mother, from corporate liaisons to immigrant families.

Q. How important are math, science and communication skills to finding success in your field?A. All three areas are crucial to the Food Program’s operation. Math skills (algebra and statistics) contribute to a reliable inventory, not only in record-keeping, but also the projection of figures which ensure donations entrusted to us are responsibly stewarded and waste is reduced. Familiarity with nutrition science allows for educating our clientele on food types, providing tools for healthier dietary practices and reducing the harm caused by food swamps. Ultimately communication is the most important skill required for this career, as one must be willing and able to dialogue with all social demographics – from a motivated retiree to a despairing teen mother, from corporate liaisons to immigrant families.

Q. What is most fulfilling about your career? 
A. The greatest experience of my job is to witness the transformation of a person from beingchronically hopeless to consistently heartened. Providing food allows a seamless opportunity to aid someone at the individual level, as hunger is the most universal entry point possible.

Q. Prior to your career, did you have any garden-related experience? 
A. I had absolutely no experience with gardens of any kind prior to working in the Food Program. Agriculture became an entirely new world opened to me, and continues to be an exciting field to learn about and apply in my line of work.

Q. How do you see your career intersecting with school gardens? 
A. Most of our neighbors who utilize food pantries are, surprisingly, less educated about fresh produce than I was. Having the ability to offer fruits and vegetables donated through school gardens benefits the students and pantry clients simultaneously. The students not only learn about agriculture directly, but find themselves intrinsically connected in community service. For clients, it expands their knowledge in preparing balanced meals, and encourages them to seek local fresh options, rather than processed empty calories.

Hopefully Jonathan’s passion for serving his community through
food distribution offers another option to consider for the school garden’s harvest, and more insight into possible career paths to explore with your students. Talk to your school social worker to
learn about the food distribution sites in your area.