Highlights Part 2 - Food Security & Basic Needs

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Enjoy our Slide Show of Photos from the Organizations that are featured in part of our Highlight Episode from our Covid-19 special series.

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"After the pandemic, four out of 10 Black and Latinx families are struggling with food security today.” - George Gundry - Glide Memorial Church

Our COVID series spotlighted vital crisis services. Five years on, the need for food banks and hygiene hubs continues. Hear compelling stories from SF Marin Food Bank, Glide Memorial Church, Meals on Wheels, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Simply the Basics, Hayes Valley Bake Works, St. Anthony's, LavaMae X, Community Forward SF, Tipping Point, and Project Homeless Connect.

Katy McKnight—Senior Director of Community Engagement, San Francisco-Marin Food Bank

Katy McKnight serves as the Director of Community Engagement at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, a role she has held since 2013. She is responsible for directing the strategy and implementation of the Food Bank’s Community Engagement initiatives, including overseeing volunteer programs, food and fund drive campaigns, internal and external events, and corporate development. Prior to joining the Food Bank, she held various marketing, events, sales, and public relations roles in the private sector. She holds a B.A. in Communications from California State University-Sacramento. In her personal time, she is the Assistant Club Director and Head Coach of the NOMAR Volleyball Club and resides in San Francisco with her husband, a fellow Food Bank employee. To hear all of Katie McKnight's insights on food insecurity, listen to her full interview in episode two of our COVID-19 series.

George Gundry—Director of the Daily Free Meals, Glide

George Gundry is the Director of the Daily Free Meals and was in the restaurant industry 40 years before he joined GLIDE. In his time at GLIDE, he and his remarkable staff, joined by thousands of volunteers each year (pre-Covid-19), have gone out of their way to bestow on GLIDE’s Meals program guests the hospitality any guest would take for granted at the best restaurants. Meanwhile, George and team have helped GLIDE reach the milestone of 20 million meals served—a number that grows every morning, every afternoon, every evening. After enjoying a successful career, he admitted to himself that he wanted to do something different. He wanted to give back and do more for others. “GLIDE was an aligning of the stars. When I got the position, I first set out to nourish people as a whole, body and soul,” said Gundry. His team softened the colors of tablecloths, added music, and resized food trays. They formed partnerships to improve the quality and variety of the meals at GLIDE.
One hundred percent of GLIDE’s kitchen workforce comes from the local community, which creates a special bond between the staff and the population they serve. They can relate and understand, have empathy and love. Gundry is passionate about delivering to the Tenderloin community—not only quality meals but also the kindness, love and hope that everyone needs. Hear more from Glide. Listen to the full episode 42 with George and Kenneth

Kenneth Kim—Senior Director of Programs of GLIDE

Dr. Kenneth Kim is Senior Director of Programs at GLIDE Foundation, where he leads the design, implementation and evaluation of an integrated community engagement and dynamic service system for the homeless and marginalized communities living in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. He joined GLIDE as Clinical Director in 2015. Kenneth represents GLIDE as a member of the Community Advisory Committee for TLHIP, San Francisco’s Domestic Violence Consortium, as well as other collaborations with Bay Area community-based organizations and city agencies. Kenneth is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in community mental health, foster care system, and treatment of trauma and has worked in human services for over 20 years. His volunteer, training, and work experience include but not limited to programs addressing violence prevention, severe mental illness, substance use, psychological evaluation, and crisis intervention. Kenneth is an advisor for the Korean American Community Foundation of San Francisco and board member at TNDC. Kenneth earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley and bachelor’s degree in Social Work from UC Davis. For the full story on Glide's community response, find the complete, original interview with George Gundry and Kenneth Kim in episode 42

Jim Oswald—Director of Marketing & Communications, Meals on Wheels, SF

Jim Oswald joined Meals on Wheels San Francisco in November 2018 as Director of Marketing and Communications, where he is responsible for brand management, messaging, and marketing and communications strategy to raise visibility and increase public engagement. Jim has worked in the nonprofit space for nearly 20 years and has served in similar capacities at Edgewood Center for Children and Families and at The Marine Mammal Center.

He was the founder of Oswald Media Communications, specializing in broadcast media training and outreach placements for both corporate businesses and nonprofits. Previously, he worked as a senior account executive at Niehaus, Ryan, Wong Public Relations—a South San Francisco firm that represented some of the biggest household names, including Netflix, Yahoo, Pixar, and eBay. Prior to PR, Jim was a broadcaster, starting his career as a radio reporter and anchor at KMPH-FM in Fresno, CA. Later, he moved over to television and became a news producer, writer, and field reporter for NBC affiliate KSEE in Fresno, CA. 

Jim graduated from California State University, Fresno with a BA in Broadcast Communications. He is a Gulf War veteran and served in the Air Force during Desert Shield/Desert Storm in 1990-91. Today, he lives in San Francisco with his husband, Marty, and their mini dachshund, Lulu. To learn more about supporting seniors, find Jim Oswald's original, full-length interview in episode 14.

Allison Goodwin—President & CEO, Redwood Empire Food Bank

Born and raised in Sonoma County, I am proud to live, work and raise my children in this community. I appreciate that my education and career path in the nonprofit sector has led me to the Redwood Empire Food Bank. It is the work of our community, with a daily goal of doing better, doing more and giving to those who need a bit of help, a smile and someone to share their story.

Meghan Freebeck—Chief Executive Officer & Founder Simply the Basics

Meghan Freebeck has a deep passion for providing people with their most basic needs and ensuring that every person feels dignified regardless of their income or housing status.

In 2016, Meghan founded the national nonprofit, Simply the Basics. As the current Board President, she now leads the nation’s largest hygiene bank which has been recognized in the Washington Post, SF Chronicle, and at the World Wide Women festival. Simply the Basics has a global reach with a model soon to be replicated in 25 cities.

Meghan was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Project Homeless Connect, a global nonprofit founded by Governor Gavin Newsom and now operating as an independent nonprofit that has been recognized by HUD as a global best practice.

In her work, Meghan is most proud to lead cost effective and community based nonprofits that have a direct impact on the effects of homelessness on a city and create long term pathways for reaching goals.

Meghan has been honored as a top “40 Under 40” in San Francisco for her leadership in nonprofit organizations. She has been recognized as a “Change-maker” at the United State of Women Summit in DC and is a 2015 “National Daily Point of Light” award winner. In 2017, Meghan was honored as one of 11 Most Inspirational Women in San Francisco. To learn all about providing hygiene, dignity, and remote volunteering, listen to Megan’s complete interview in episode 16.

Mark Bailey—Head of Operations, Hayes Valley Bakeworks

Mark oversees the business operations, including the integration of training and employment of individuals with disabilities at Bakeworks. Mark has over 15 years of experience in restaurant management and production, including 10 years in a social enterprise environment. Before joining Bakeworks, Mark headed the cafe program of Housing Works Bookstore Cafe in New York City which provided job training for individuals with HIV/AIDS. Listen to the complete, original episode 36 featuring Mark Bailey and Martha Martinez

Martha Martinez—Head of production & training, Hayes Valley Bakeworks

Martha is the head of production and training at Bakeworks. A graduate of the City College culinary program, she has long had a passion for teaching and baking. She first joined Bakeworks as a volunteer but was quickly hired to head the pastry program at Bakeworks because of a light hand with pastry and her patience and enthusiasm for working with trainees and employees with disabilities. For the full story on job training and community impact, find the original interview with Mark Bailey and Martha Martinez in episode 36

Nils Behnke—CEO, St. Anthony’s

As a donor, volunteer, and St. Anthony’s Board member and President for more than a decade prior to joining us as our CEO, Nils is deeply committed to furthering St. Anthony’s impact serving vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness and poverty, and passionate about our Franciscan values, mission, and history.

Nils joined St. Anthony’s as CEO in September 2020, and brings growth-oriented leadership acumen to the role of CEO. Formerly working in the private sector, he held prominent senior roles at leading management consulting firms Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company, and the role of CEO for a private biotech company. Nils earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Cologne.

Nils and his wife and two sons live in San Francisco and are active parishioners of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church. Nils enjoys cycling and motorcycling (“anything on two wheels”), and practicing his culinary skills in his spare time. To understand St. Anthony's full story of dignity and the new hygiene hub, listen to Niles Benke's original interview in episode 79

Doniece Sandoval—Founder, LavaMaeˣ

Doniece is the founder of LavaMaeˣ, a nonprofit that teaches people anywhere how to bring mobile showers and essential care services to the street. Driven by a fierce belief that everyone has the right to be clean, she launched LavaMaeˣ (then Lava Mae) in 2013 by converting a public transportation bus to mobile showers and toilets on wheels after learning about the appalling lack of access to hygiene available to people experiencing homelessness. Her work has created a ripple effect, touching the lives of over 33,000 Californians and inspiring 270 similar programs around the globe. Doniece credits LavaMaeˣ’s international visibility to its focus on dignity and Radical Hospitality®. A 2019 Social Entrepreneurs in Residence at Stanford Fellow (SEERS), 2019 Jefferson Award, 2018 Global Good Fund Fellow, 2017 CNN Hero, and 2016 KIND People Award recipient. She is, however, most proud of the moniker given to her by her daughter, who calls her a Superhero. For more on mobile hygiene, listen to episode 3 with Denise Sandoval and Chris Keebler

Kris Kepler—CEO, LavaMaeˣ

Kris Kepler, who took over from Sandoval as CEO, has guided LavaMaeˣ through our pivot from a focus on providing mobile care services to a focus on teaching others to deliver LavaMaeˣ–designed programs—while leading the team in building and executing a consulting platform during the pandemic. Kepler came to LavaMaeˣ with 20 years of user experience design expertise, and she is particularly passionate and informed about applying a user-centered mindset to developing products and services for the unhoused, as well as fostering cross-sector collaboration to solve issues affecting unhoused people and partnering with cities to galvanize action around hygiene and homelessness. To hear the full story of DIY handwashing stations, listen to the original, interview with Donice and Chris in episode 3.

Sammie Rayner—Chief Program Officer, Community Forward SF

Sammie Rayner is an entrepreneur and philanthropist focused on poverty alleviation. She currently serves as Chief Program Officer of Community Forward SF, a network of homeless service programs serving the most vulnerable San Franciscans with trauma-informed care. Before joining Community Forward SF, Sammie co-founded and and served as COO at HandUp, a fundraising platform for human service nonprofits in the U.S. Sammie’s initial passion for designing programs to alleviate poverty started in West Africa where she co-founded and served as Executive Director for Lumana, a micro-finance organization in Ghana. Sammie is passionate about using human-centered design, data, and compassion to tackle poverty. She frequently speaks at social good and human service events such as SOCAP, Stanford’s Social Media on Purpose conference, and more. Hear Sammy Rainer’s full interview about supporting unhoused women in episode 5

Kelly Bathgate—Chief Program Officer,Tipping Point Community

Kelly Bathgate is Chief Program Officer at Tipping Point Community, where she oversees the organization’s program investments, including direct service, policy, and systems change work. Kelly has spent her career working in education reform and youth + community development, with a particular focus on cross-sector partnerships to catalyze change. She joined Tipping Point in 2011, initially to design and build out the organization’s capacity-building programming, which has since become a critical part of Tipping Point’s model.

Prior to joining Tipping Point, she worked for Education Sector, a national education policy think tank, where she led fund and business development and worked on policy issues related to shared impact and accountability. She started her nonprofit career teaching and running an arts education program in East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Redwood City. Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree in education policy, organization, and leadership studies from Stanford University. Claiming the Bay Area as her adopted home, Kelly loves to take advantage of all the Bay Area has to offer: hiking, running, cycling, and cheer on all the local sports team (including her alma mater– Go Bears!). To hear Kelly Bathgate's full discussion on policy and philanthropy, listen to episode 47

Meghan Freebeck—CEO, Project Homeless Connect

Meghan Freebeck, MAE, comes from Chicago where she served as Director of Communications for the Shakespeare Project of Chicago and later Community & Volunteer Manager of an interim housing program, Lincoln Park Community Shelter, prior to moving to San Francisco. Most recently, Meghan served as Deputy Director of San Francisco Suicide Prevention, however her work continued serving neighbors experiencing homelessness when she founded Simply the Basics, the first national hygiene bank, a volunteer based, community nonprofit. Meghan is grateful to work with a dedicated team that prioritizes impact driven results and compassion in their services. (In 2020, Meghan and her family will be moving out of San Francisco; PHC is currently hiring for the CEO position). To learn how Project Homeless Connect adapted its large-scale service events, find Megan's complete interview in episode 9

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