You probably won’t be surprised to learn that women make up 73% of the non-profit workforce. In fact, women dominate in the sectors that have the most impact on kids, including education, social work, and philanthropy (not to mention motherhood). Several of the top Seattle-area food banks are led by powerful, passionate women, women who share a belief that food is a basic human right and are making great strides to create places where people in need can find a welcoming place for help.
When Fran Yeatts first joined the West Seattle Food Bank as Executive Director, it was a tiny organization of 2 employees and a team of volunteers. Under Fran’s leadership, the West Seattle Food Bank now serves over 18,000 people annually, providing food, home delivery services, baby supplies, clothes, rent assistance, and even pet supplies! “I love developing our programs and services to improve how we serve the community,” Fran says. “Working in partnership with the whole community and continuing to innovate in how we serve the families makes this work engaging.” Jen Muzia, Executive Director of the Ballard Food Bank, agrees. “Food is connected to hope, it’s how we come together to celebrate our cultures, traditions, loved ones and friends. That’s core to why food is important, it’s not just feeding our bodies but our souls.”
Both women note that the demand for service is growing, and the problem of food insecurity may increase in the current political and economic climate. Muzia notes, “We’ve seen such exponential growth in the need for food and resources in our community, I’m worried about keeping enough food on the shelf.” And Yeatts adds, “Continuing to find enough resources to really meet the needs of families that rely on our services is an ongoing challenge.”
Muzia, in particular, is a passionate advocate for food equality at the policy level, pointing out that, “Instead of increasing investments in state and federal policies that address food insecurity and our critical social safety net, we may see reductions at the state level or – at the federal level – critical programs disappear.” She adds that, “We can end hunger if we have the political will to do so.”
Research indicates that women are more disproportionately impacted by food insecurity (which we talked about on the blog here), and both Yeatts and Muzia confirm those findings in the day-to-day operations of their respective organizations. Yeatts says, “Women very often make less than men and often end up being the primary or only caregivers for children.” She notes that, in addition to the gender pay gap still prevalent in this country, women frequently jeopardize their jobs by choosing their caregiving role over their employment. At the Ballard Food Bank, observes Muzia, “We see more domestic violence survivors who may be starting over with nothing, and those are disproportionately women.” She also notes that, with longer life expectancies and savings eroded by inflation, a disproportionate number of the seniors served by the food bank are also women.
Despite challenging policy and economic environments, however, both Yeatts and Muzia are positive about the impact their organizations are having on the community. “Continuing to work towards a community where hunger insecurity is never an issue because all families have the resources to meet basic needs in the end game,” says Yeatts. And adds Muzia, “I’m driven by my belief that food and hope are both human rights, we need to do better to address poverty and end the idea of having food banks.”
To young women who are considering a career in non-profits, Yeatts and Muzia are encouraging, but pragmatic. “Working for a mission-oriented organization is an amazing thing because you’re surrounded by so many brilliant, compassionate people all working to address those systems [of injustice], dismantle them and build a better world.” But, Yeatts adds, “You do not need to work for a non-profit to make a difference…finding ways to work towards a sustainable world in which everyone has access to basic needs can be part of your life wherever you work.”
Jennifer Muzia, Executive Director, Ballard Food Bank
Jen Muzia is nearing her 11-year anniversary as Executive Director of Ballard Food Bank. Previously, she was the Chief Strategy Officer at Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Jen was also on the board and a volunteer with the U-District Food Bank for nine years. Jen is an active member of the Seattle Food Committee and is co-chair of the Seattle Human Services Coalition. Jen received her Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Affairs and her bachelor’s degree in business from Western Washington University. She is an alumna of the 2009 class of Leadership Tomorrow.
Fran Yeatts, Executive Director, West Seattle Food Bank
Fran Yeatts was hired as Executive Director of the West Seattle Food Bank June of 2001. Prior to joining this agency Fran had managed vocational services at Highline West Seattle Mental Health (now called Navos) for 10 years and worked with at risk youth for two years. She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelors Degree in Sociology and enjoys hiking, skiing and traveling in her spare time.
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