Today we’d like to introduce you to Meredith Jakovich.
Hi Meredith, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
After moving to Lockhart from Austin in 2016, I began volunteering at the local food bank. My son had started pre-school and I was looking for an opportunity to give back. I worked at the front desk assisting clients twice a week. My favorite part of the job was connecting with clients. In 2018, I was asked to join the board of directors and transitioned into the Executive Director role in January 2019. I knew early on that there was great potentioal to grow the organization and I was strongly motivated by the need I saw first hand.
In 2019 I was a staff of one with a big job ahead of me. The food bank was serving about 400 households monthly. Much of my first year was spent rebuilding and modifying operations. I recruited volunteers and hired a warehouse assistant. Every Monday morning we met our delivery truck at 6:00 am and unloaded the inventory for the week. The following days were spent distributing grocery baskets to clients, and cycle would start again each week. At that time we also particpated in the Healthy Options Program for the Elderly (HOPE) program. This program provides extra shelf stable food items for the senior population.
In Fall of 2019 we launched our backpack program. We started with one school and 24 bags. The goal of this program is to provide food insecure students with extra food resources.
The following year we naviagated COVID and vast uncertainty. The food bank remained open during the shutdown with the help of our small staff and a handful of dedicated volunteers. Demand surged and we answered each call for help. In Fall of 2020 we started our garden program.
By 2021 we were able to add two more staff members and the volunteer team continued to grow. Post COVID supply chain issues continued to cause challenges. Cost of living and especially food expenses increased significantly. We continued to focus on creative innovation. During a community needs assessment we identified a gap in service. Feeding Caldwell County Community Meal Progam was launched. This program was designed to bring the community together and provide nourishment and fellowhip. Community meals are prepared and served and are available to anyone in need at no cost.
We added our most recent program in Fall 2022 to address food insecurity in rural areas of our county. We took over management of the Mobile Markets program from Central Texas Food Bank in the Luling and Dale communities. These pop up markets are open and available to anyone and often address transportation barriers and provide additional resources.
Substantial population growth and continued cost of living challegnes translate to more individuals and families needing our assistance. Today we operate six programs of service. We are the largest food resource in Caldwell County. We have a staff of six and our volunteer team has exceeded over 200 active members. Our food bank serves over 2200 households each month. Our backpack program distributes 750 bags to 14 schools, and our garden harvests thousands of pounds of organic produce each year.
The growth will continue but the mission remains the same. We provide solutions for food insecurity in Caldwell County. Personally it’s been exceptionally rewarding to see the potential become reality.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’ve had our share of challenges. The COVID pandemic period was diffcult for everyone. I’m proud of our team that worked extremely hard to meet high levels of demand. Remaining open while the world shut down was trying. The cost of living increase in 2021 was difficult. Food cost increase and lack of availability was difficult. Our biggest challenge has been lack of physical space. We outgrew our building years ago. Population growth increased land prices and there is lack of availble space to aquire. The demand for service has increased year after year and we’ve creatively had to use every inch of capacity to keep up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Caldwell County Food Bank ?
CCFB is the largest food resource in Caldwell County. We provide solutions for food insecurity. We are known for great client service. We prioriize our clients experience. Fighting the stigma of food pantry assistance one smile and at time. I am proud of the growth in program offerings during my leadership. I am proud of our team. Everyone that works and volutneers with us knows this job is a higher calling. It’s an incredibly important mission. When you nourish the body, you feed the soul.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Lean on those that have accomplished what you are pursuing. Research what has been done and tweak it to make it your own. What are you providing people? How would you like your experience to be if you were the client? Tailor your plans accordingly and trust yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caldwellfoodpantry.com
- Facebook: Caldwell County Food Bank
