Jennie Jordan, Engagement Manager

​Cooking has been a major part of my life since I was a small human. My mom loved creating meals for me and my older brother that were healthy, diverse, delicious and full of love. From a young age, she had me in the kitchen helping and learning, growing my love of cooking which I've held onto as I grew up and passed through the different phases of adulthood. She sometimes shares stories of how we were tight on money in my early childhood and how being on WIC gave a little help along with her being creative with the food budget.

David, Myrna and Jennie from 2000.

Jerry was diagnosed with cancer and unable to work, which meant his savings went to pay for his mortgage, car, and health care. This left no room for food in his budget, so he came to FHBB for help through our services. Jerry was impressed with the amount of nutritious food available, such as fish, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, beans, and soup, which he attributes to his success in “beating cancer.” Through conflicts with doctor appointments, he was grateful the staff provided time accommodation, allowing him to continue receiving services.​

Jerry expresses tremendous gratitude to the Breadbasket for helping him through a difficult time in his life and states, “I will do whatever it takes to help the Breadbasket as they helped me.” 

Karla Hagemeister, Executive Director
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I am an avid reader in my “spare” time, often juggling two or three books at once- I like a little variety of content depending on how much brain space is available. While my fiction diet covers a wide range of content, my nonfiction tends to center around issues that are close to my heart- public policy, leading a nonprofit organization, and food insecurity. Fortunately, there is a lot of overlap in these areas, and I find golden nuggets in almost everything I read.
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I finished How the Other Half Eats-The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America by Priya Fielding-Singh, PhD over the weekend. The content of Dr. Fielding-Singh’s book comes from research she conducted as a doctoral student at Stanford University. She interviewed seventy-five families and observed four additional families in greater depth.