Executive Director
Waste Not Want Not Inc.
Mission
Waste Not Want Not, a volunteer-based group, exists to prevent the discarding of items that can be used to fight hunger and poverty in our community. We do this by rescuing food daily from numerous sources for distribution to local charitable organizations, and through other cost-effective, volunteer-driven initiatives.
Serving Jacksonville
Based in Orange Park, Waste Not Want Not began rescuing food for the St. Francis Soup Kitchen in 1990 and has been serving those in need in the greater Jacksonville area ever since.
Those served
In 2011, Waste Not Want Not rescued and distributed 1,359,361 pounds of food to 130 charitable organizations serving the needy in Duval, Clay, Baker, Putnam, St. Johns, Union, Marion, Alachua, Bradford and Levy counties. Every week last year, an average of 11,000 people ate food rescued by Waste Not Want Not.
Biggest challenge
Waste Not Want Not’s biggest challenge is twofold: Increasing public awareness of food rescue in general and Waste Not Want Not in particular, and making it known how effectively we leverage every financial donation. A dollar spent by Waste Not Want Not provides $22 worth of food to the community.
Biggest satisfaction
I derive enormous satisfaction from Waste Not Want Not’s mission and from its wonderful volunteers. The premise of the mission is so obvious and simple: Get surplus food to those in need. The execution of the mission is complex, requiring significant logistical planning, important relationship-building, and more than 350 volunteer-hours a week. Our volunteers’ constant cheerfulness and willingness to help in any way inspires me every day.
Hometown
Brussels, Belgium
First experience with community service
My first memory of volunteering is painting the library of an orphanage with my family when I was in elementary school. I continued to volunteer with family, church and scouts, but my first individual volunteer experience was when I was in ninth grade. On Saturday mornings, I rode the train to inner-city Brussels to tutor immigrant children in reading and math. I learned two things from that experience: The importance of education and that you don’t have to look far from home to find people who need help.
Your job before Waste Not Want Not
My last paying job was as an associate at a New York City law firm, working in the areas of corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. My most recent job before Waste Not Want Not, and my most rewarding, has been raising three upstanding and outstanding children.
Upcoming events
March 29: “Arsenic & Old Lace,” benefit performance by Orange Park Community Theatre, 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. Call 505-5894.
The Players Birdies for Charity: Make a donation to Waste Not Want Not and guess at how many birdies will be made at the 2012 Players Championship. You could win $5,000 for yourself and $5,000 for Waste Not Want Not. For information, visit birdiesforcharity.playerschampionship.com.
Contact information
www.wastenotflorida.com
687-6327
[email protected]