Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire Hutson (for Hungry Souls).
Hi Claire, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Austin, so serving this community feels incredibly personal. After spending a few years away, I moved back in 2021 while pursuing my Master’s in Public Health. During that time, I wanted to get more involved in the community, so I began volunteering with local farms and organizations working to improve food access and community health. As part of my graduate practicum, I was introduced to Hungry Souls. I started by working on community needs assessments, organizational impact reports, and strategic planning projects. The more I learned about the organization’s mission, the more I realized how unique its approach is. After completing my practicum, I was invited to join the organization full-time. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to help grow our community partnerships, secure grant funding, lead fundraising efforts, and support the organization’s long-term strategy. Because we’re a small team, I’ve been fortunate to wear many hats, and every day brings new opportunities to collaborate with schools, businesses, foundations, and volunteers who all share the same goal of ensuring children and families have consistent access to nutritious food. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the organization’s impact continue to grow. While my path began with a degree in public health, it’s ultimately led me back to my hometown, where I get to work alongside an amazing community to help expand access to healthy food for families across Central Texas.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a perfectly smooth road, but every challenge has reinforced why this work matters. One of the biggest realities of working with a nonprofit is that the need almost always exceeds the resources available. There are always more families, more schools, and more communities that could benefit from our program, and it’s difficult knowing we can’t say yes to everyone right away. When you see the need firsthand, your instinct is to expand as quickly as possible. But I’ve learned that lasting impact requires thoughtful growth by building strong partnerships and making sure we can continue showing up for what we’ve already committed to, while responsibly expanding our reach. It can be difficult to slow down when you know people need help today, but we’ve found that growing intentionally allows us to serve our community well for years to come. As I’ve worked to strengthen our relationships with schools, businesses, foundations, and community partners, we’ve been able to expand our reach and serve more families than ever before. That growth is a reminder that meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight, rather when a community comes together around a shared mission.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At Hungry Souls, I have the opportunity to work across several areas of the organization, from community partnerships and grant writing to fundraising, communications, and long-term strategic planning. Because we’re a small nonprofit, every role is interconnected, and I enjoy helping build the relationships and resources that allow our programs to continue growing and reaching more families. My public health background has shaped the way I approach this work. I’ve always been interested in looking beyond immediate needs to understand the larger systems that affect a community’s health and well-being. Food insecurity isn’t just about access to food. It’s connected to education, health, economic stability, opportunity, and many other aspects of community. That perspective has helped me think strategically about how we can create lasting impact while continuing to meet families’ immediate needs. I’m most proud of being part of an organization that has continued to grow its reach while staying true to its mission. We’ve expanded our partnerships, increased funding opportunities, and been able to serve hundreds more families across Central Texas. Knowing that those efforts translates directly into children having reliable access to nutritious meals is incredibly rewarding. If there’s one thing that sets me apart, I hope it’s my ability to bring people together around a shared purpose. Whoever I’m working with, whether a school, a foundation, another organization, a local business, or an individual donor, I believe meaningful change happens through collaboration. No one organization can solve food insecurity alone, but when a community comes together, we can create lasting solutions that make a real difference.
How do you define success?
For me, success is defined by how I approach my work every day. Am I leading with integrity? Am I treating people well? Am I building trust, being a good steward of the resources we’ve been entrusted with, and making decisions that align with our mission? Those are the things I can control, and they’re what I strive to be successful at every day. Beyond that, I think success is measured by impact. In our work at Hungry Souls, that means asking whether we’re creating lasting change for the families we serve. Are we reaching more children? Are we building stronger partnerships? Are we growing in a way that’s sustainable so we can continue serving our community? One of the things I appreciate most about working in the nonprofit sector is that success is rarely an individual achievement. Every grant awarded, or new school partnership, or volunteer who gives their time, and every donor who believes in our mission contributes to something much bigger than any one person. If my work helps create more consistent access to nutritious food and helps strengthen food security across our community, then I consider that success.
Pricing:
- $30 feeds a family for a week
- $120 feeds a family for a month
- $1,560 feeds a family for a year
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hungry-souls.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hungrysoulsatx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hungrysoulsatx
