Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Cruzen
Hi Angie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was in retail banking for 15 years ending that career in a leadership role as a regional branch manager. Volunteering has always been important to me and I have served at my church and in the community for many years. Having a servant heart I have always wanted to work in nonprofit but could not find the right fit.
Before starting my role as Executive Director I was on the Board of Directors at the food shelf. When the previous director announced her retirement I knew this was a great opportunity for me. I knew in my heart this is where God wanted me to be. Years of leadership training, immersing myself in the local business communities, volunteering for various causses all equipped me to be the director I am today. I started at the food shelf in the heart of the pandemic. It was August 2000 and we were serving people outside, masked, with so many unknowns swirling around. It was a complete leap of faith to leave corporate America and jump into the world of nonprofit.
I am humbled and honored every day to do this for a living. Having access to food is a basic human right and I advocate for that in many ways. We have two food shelf sites now, have a well rounded life skills program, deep relationships with other hunger relief organizations, and are a go-to connector for those experiencing hardships and crisis.
This August will be five years as Executive Director. We are helping double the families from when I started, we are serving a much larger foot print, orchestrate our own fundraisers, and are continuing to expand our services to help a person’s full well-being because we understand we are an entry point and people using our resource are in need of much more than quality groceries.
This August
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been a smooth road. Personally I gave up annual bonuses, retirement matching, health benefits, and other benefits when I left corporate America and went to nonprofit. It is a big adjustment and has helped me grow in my faith and be a better planner.
Professionally we have navigated many things since I started almost five years ago. The demand for our services has increased substantially and continues. The price of goods we need to keep our shelves full has increased. The availability of some goods has changed and/or is no longer available. We have shifted to becoming more focused on sharing our top food donation needs, stopped ordering some expensive food items, updated shopper quantities on various items – all to keep our budget manageable. We’ve seen a shift in donor giving that has caused us to get creative with our fundraisers.
In my role, I have to seek out trainings, ways to grow professionally, and improve my performance. I always had an HR department in my corporate role providing that for me. When you’re seeking it yourself and paying for it with hard earned donation dollars, you make it count and apply it to every aspect of your job.
We’ve been impressed with Gather and Grow Food Shelf & Connection Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our heartfelt mission is to provide fresh food, high-quality groceries and supportive services to our great community. We have two food shelf sites in Carver county serving about 550 families per month. We are mainly supported by donation dollars in addition to some grant funding.
In addition to quality food options we have pet food, baby food & diapers, personal care, and household items for shoppers to choose from while at our sites.
We pride ourselves on providing a respectful and positive shopping experience for all that enter our doors. We have over 250 volunteers and love serving anyone in our communities that are experiencing hardship. We see ourselves as much more than a food shelf and provide life skills classes to help shoppers get a hand-up and grow out of their current circumstances as best we can.
The demand for our services continue to rise and we are only sustainable because of our amazing volunteers and donors. If a reader is local to Waconia or Watertown we invite them to complete a volunteer application on our website. And if they feel lead to make a financial impact on our organization we gratefully ask them to do so. Every dollar helps us provide quality food to our neighbors experiencing food insecurity.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
As an eternal optimist, I’m more a believer in fate than luck but it has played a role in my life. I believe I was fortunate to be serving on the food shelf board when the previous leader announced her retirement. I believe I am lucky to have already built strong relationships with the business community in my area previous to going into nonprofit. These relationships have been immensely beneficial in my current role.
I am a firm believer in things happen for a reason and I’m very lucky/blessed to be in the position I am to serve others as my profession.
Pricing:
- $50 Donation = 300 Meals
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gatherandgrowmn.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatherandgrowfoodshelf
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gatherandgrowfoodshelf
