Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Borrego.
Hi Monica, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
My name is Monica Borrego. I am the Executive Director of the New Braunfels Food Bank. My journey with the food bank started almost 16 years ago. I had been in the non-profit industry for ten years prior but needed a change and wanted to be able to help more people. I applied and got hired as a Client Services Specialist. I worked as a “client services specialist” for nearly two years when hurricane Katrina hit our neighbors in Louisiana. At the time, I was on the disaster team, a group of individuals within our organization that would come together to meet the needs of any disaster we were responding to organizationally. I was then exposed to the other areas of the food bank, and my curiosity peaked when I heard a position on the Development Team was open. With a little encouragement from my future boss, I took a chance and submitted my application. This is when my career with the food bank truly began to develop. I learned how to speak in public, raise money, build relationships, share our stories, and much more. The experience I gained led me to my current role as Executive Director of the New Braunfels Food Bank, a 28,000-square-foot facility that serves Comal and Guadalupe counties.
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
The industry that I have chosen to work in is continuously challenging. The privilege to serve is what keeps most people in the non-profit industry. Along the way, we have seen many struggles from the families we serve. We pivot as needed to ensure that our work is impactful and meaningful. That being said, the path could be smoother, and our ability to adapt keeps our organization relevant and impactful.
Additionally, with disaster response, we must maintain regular business and ramp up for special circumstances. In 2017, while moving into our new facility in New Braunfels, our organization was responding to Hurricane Harvey, which affected our neighbors to the south, and Hurricane Irma, which tore through Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Just a few short years later, Covid hit. Our team leaned in to help our families in need without knowing exactly what we were dealing with. When everyone was told to go home, we were gearing up to come to work, but this time, with no volunteers, no idea if we could get sick, with no knowledge of masking or access to personal protection gear. We shifted our operations. Our lines grew, and our distributions were like nothing we had ever seen. We served people who had never needed to access food from a food pantry. Our employees worked hard to ensure that we would still be here even though the world was shutting down. We could never have predicted how long and tiring this would be. Our industry was hit hard, but we kept on going, and to this day, we continue to work at a pace we could never have predicted.
Please tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others.
I want to think that one of the things that has helped me be successful is my ability to share our story and the story of the neighbors we serve. Oftentimes, the supporters that we work with are not on the front lines of the work we are doing, yet we need them to understand and help us in our cause.
I pride myself in sharing our “why.” Why is this needed? Why are people hungry? Why can’t I tell when someone I know is silently struggling? It is our job to share that narrative with our families in a way that inspires those with resources to give and give big.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
My biggest piece of advice is to be passionate about the work you choose to do. If you have passion, it feels more like purpose and less like work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nbfoodbank.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nbfoodbank
Image Credits
Julian P. Ledezma
