Thank You for 10 Years of Leadership, Jen

This month, Jen Muzia is celebrating her 10-year anniversary as executive director of Ballard Food Bank! To mark the occasion, we asked her to share some memorable moments and highlights from the past decade. We also asked folks who’ve worked closely with her to share some of their reflections and thoughts.

Jen: My first thought is how has time passed so quickly? It’s easy for days to fly by when our home is filled with a constant buzz of activity, much laughter, a strong sense of community and belonging. At the same time, it feels like our world, Seattle, Ballard, and our food bank have changed overnight. The challenges we faced when I first started are quite different today.

What does 10 years look like? Well, it includes a few more grey hairs and wrinkles for me personally! As a leader, looking back on 10 years fills me with a strong sense of pride, community, and hope.

When I stepped into our old blue building, I was honored to follow former executive director, Nancy McKinney, who had built a strong foundation. I joined a small but mighty team of committed staff and volunteers who had taken care of their neighbors for years. There was a cadre of long-time volunteers who welcomed me, including many high-energy octogenarians and nonagenarians. They all shared a firm belief that their neighbors deserved food and hope. They worked with dedication, laughter, and love.

We didn’t let limitations of space hold us back in our old building! We established a container garden in the parking lot, held cooking classes, and began bringing partner agencies into the space to connect with clients. I’ll never forget when supporter Terry Miller took down walls to help us restructure the space, turning staff offices and a countertop into a hub for services, the foundation of our Community Resource Hub today.

I’ve met truly wonderful people because of the food bank. People I will never forget. A few years ago, a gentleman named Steven started to come by. Initially he didn’t want to come inside. A staff member invited him in. After a time, Steven started to volunteer. Soon he was coming in every day to help sort food, mop the floor, lend a hand. Steven was a poet. He’d write poems about the food bank and what it meant to him as a human being. I keep one of his poems in my office to this day. He was most excited about the idea of our new home, and what it would bring to the community. We tragically lost Steven before he could ever see our new home, but his words, his kindness, his smile are still with us.

The pandemic hit and there was a sudden shutdown of everything around us. As the world changed quickly, people were scared. We knew we still needed to get food to people. I remember our whole team meeting for the first time on Zoom to figure things out. No one ever said it wasn’t possible, everyone kept coming back! We knew we needed to be here for our community. We did what we needed to do. There was still laughter, a sense of camaraderie, so many volunteers who stepped forward to help. I think for me, mentally, working at the food bank helped me get through the pandemic with less trauma because of the teamwork and sense of community. 

Through it all, we kept planning and fundraising and managed to build this beautiful new home thanks to donations of every size, large and small. Every contribution mattered. I’ll never forget the first day we opened to our community. People came in to shop and they were amazed at the beautiful and welcoming space. I talked to a client in the Community Market and he said to me: ‘You did it. You did what you said you were going to do. I’ve never been treated with such dignity.’ That memory stays with me.

We’ve been in our Hub for Hope now for 2 ½ years. Last month, we had our busiest month ever, with 10,688 visits and deliveries. We exceeded 1,000 meals served in one day in our Kindness Café.

I’m often asked how do we keep up? The truth is we couldn’t do it without our community. It takes all of us: volunteers, supporters, and our staff team to live our mission. We believe that there can be enough for everyone. We will continue to ensure that families have healthy food on their tables, that folks remain housed, that we walk alongside folks to find the right services, jobs, and housing. At the same time, we know it also calls for more. We must continue to advocate for policies that address and undo systemic racism and poverty. We will continue to innovate so that we can work alongside folks while also looking at how we can be more proactive in our efforts further upstream. The work ahead is not easy but we believe in our neighbors, the folks that trust us and are working hard to take care of their families too. 

Tom Bernard, former board member: When Jen was hired, we had a pretty small organization, a building that just barely functioned and a conflicted dream about what we could somehow be.  We explored partnering with a housing provider, tried for years to find a building to renovate or land to build on. We eventually found land but had to go through very complicated environmental reviews and then, once we got through that, of course we had to collaboratively design and build the building and raise an extraordinary amount of money.  And then, of course, we had to figure out a way to feed all these people through the pandemic-holy cow!! We are so fortunate to have had Jen as our leader these past 10 years-I sincerely believe that no one could have shepherded us through this transition to our permanent space like Jen has.

Vanetta Abdellatif, board member: Jen cares. She cares about the clients Ballard Food Bank advocates for and serves. She cares about her extraordinary team. And because she cares, she uses her strong organizational, leadership, and advocacy skills to lead BFB to make sure that those who need it get the food they need. Thank you, Jen, for your 10 years of service!

Anthony Anderson, staff member: Jen is a steady hand on the wheel of leadership. She's consistent in her communication, always open. She's a good listener who is always willing to entertain other perspectives.

Mesa Herman, staff member: I appreciate Jen’s focus on community involvement. She regularly collaborates with other local organizations, neighbors, and policy leaders, taking a systemic approach to achieve positive change.

Bri Sherman, staff member: The thing I appreciate most about Jen is her fierce advocacy for our clients and for her staff.

Tom Hendrickson, staff member: As well as being a forward thinker, I appreciate that Jen always tries to do what is best for the clients, volunteers, and employees - and more often than not, succeeds.

Carrie Schneider, board member: Without Jen’s vision, persistence, and leadership we would not be in our permanent home. What I admire most about Jen is her dedication to uplifting others - whether it be our clients, staff, or board. She identifies what is unique and valuable about the individuals around her and works to make sure they can thrive. I enjoy watching Jen when she is in a room full of people because everyone just gravitates to her – yes, she is smart and knowledgeable, but she also does a good job of making those around her feel seen and heard.

Hsiao-Ching Chou, board member: Jen’s commitment to building a holistic approach to operating Ballard Food Bank means that staff, volunteers, and clients experience belonging and being cared for. Her leadership over the past decade is what enables our organization to live up to our intention to be a Hub for Hope.

Kathleen Owens, board member: It is impossible to overstate the impact of Jen's transformational leadership on Ballard Food Bank. Jen's collaborative approach and openness to innovative ideas have led to initiatives such as drive-through pick-up during the pandemic, a mobile food truck, an epic summer concert for fundraising and community building, and innovative food sourcing through gleaning programs. Everything she does is rooted in her values. She regularly asks, "Whose voice is not represented?" Jen is not afraid to name racism and other systemic injustices as the root cause of poverty and to think strategically as she partners with local and state leaders to drive broader systemic change. Her goal remains to put herself out of business because there is no more need. Jen truly is an unsung hero of Seattle, and I thank her for her decade of tremendous impact.