Spotlight on Farm to Pantry: Q&A with Executive Director Rosa Gonzalez
Some of the Farm to Pantry Team and Board Members at the 2024 Healdsburg FFA Parade. From left to right: Maclan Cung (Board of Directors Co-Chair), Leslie Rollen (Volunteer), Sandi McCubbin (Board Member), Kelly Conrad (Community Outreach & Development Director), Riley Reed (Kids Farm Connection & Special Projects Coordinator), Kevin Di Massa (Operations Coordinator), Emmet Jeffrey Conrad (Volunteer), Kerrigan Bunker (2023-2024 AmeriCorps VIP Service Member), and Rosa Gonzalez, MPH (Executive Director).
With deep roots in Healdsburg and a growing reach across Sonoma County, Farm to Pantry continues to provide fresh, healthy food to communities from under-resourced areas. We sat down with Rosa Gonzalez, MPH, Executive Director of Farm to Pantry, to discuss the organization’s growth and recent changes. Our grant supports their expanded programs and essential technology improvements, helping them operate more efficiently and effectively. Rosa shares insights into their leadership transition, new initiatives and what lies ahead for the organization.
What challenges has Farm to Pantry faced during this period of growth and transition?
One of the biggest challenges we encountered was the unexpected resignation of our former Executive Director. The team had to adapt quickly, managing the transition while also addressing the emotions of staff and stakeholders who were closely connected to the previous leadership. When I stepped in, my focus was to provide stability and continue expanding our operations with a clear vision. Another challenge has been managing our rapid growth. We doubled our team from four to nine people in just a few years, which meant overcoming a learning curve and adjusting to new roles and responsibilities. We’re also working through some bugs in our new all-in-one software system, but we're excited about its potential to streamline operations once fully implemented.
Can you tell us about some of the successes Farm to Pantry has achieved recently?
We’ve seen several successes over the past year, the biggest being a smooth leadership transfer! Kelly Conrad, Farm to Pantry’s Development Director shares, “Rosa's leadership has been so refreshing, bringing us a new level of inclusivity and staff well-being. In my 3 decades of being in the professional workforce, I never knew what collaborative management really felt like until now–it doesn’t feel like ‘stepping on toes’; it truly feels like help and teamwork.” We also secured health insurance for our staff, with Farm to Pantry covering 100% of the premiums—a huge win, especially given the physical nature of our work. In terms of operations, we’ve increased produce gleaned and distributed by 300% over the last three years and expanded staff to match the workload. We’ve also expanded key programs like the "Grow-A-Row" initiative, and we’ve launched new ones like the "Kids Farm Connection," already impacting 300+ children. Last month, we surpassed 9 million servings of produce distributed! Considering it took us ~10 years to hit 1 million servings,the fact that we now deliver a million servings a year proves our commitment to meeting the community’s needs. We couldn’t have done it without our committed volunteers and funding partners like Healdsburg Forever!
How has the funding from Healdsburg Forever helped support your work?
Healdsburg Forever’s grant has been instrumental in helping us navigate this critical phase of growth. Their flexibility in spending parameters and trust in us to designate funds where they are most needed has allowed us to hire more staff and provide enhanced benefits like health insurance. This open support has reduced staff turnover and improved employee morale, which in turn deepens the quality of our programs. We also used part of the grant to purchase essential supplies, such as harvesting pickers, gloves and first aid kits. Our volunteers feel like true professionals when they are properly equipped with cutting-edge, fully-functioning tools and safety gear. The funding has made a significant difference in our ability to improve management structure, delivery service and even expand our recipient partnerships in the Healdsburg and Geyserville areas.
What’s ahead for Farm to Pantry? Are there any future plans or initiatives you’re excited about?
We’re incredibly excited about what’s ahead. Our seeds of growth have been properly planted and tended to, and can’t wait for the bloom! Our Equity Gardens/Collaborative Farming movement is gaining traction. Three new gardens are already providing culturally-appropriate food for local BIPOC families. We're also evolving the Mason Street Healdsburg site into an educational garden with a rain-harvesting system and a community space for farmworker families. Additionally, we’re expanding our agritourism efforts, partnering with local hotels, KIND Traveler and AirBnB to connect visitors with volunteer opportunities. I take anti-racism and community-centric leadership very seriously and aim to deepen relationships with our recipients, and ensure they have a sense of agency.
Charity will never solve hunger. We’ve been “feeding” this broken cycle for centuries. Working more closely with those we serve will help us address the root cause of food insecurity, help lift people out of poverty and establish solutions that are long-term, grounded in equity and self-sustaining. I hope to rally the community to help Farm to Pantry foster food sovereignty, develop land equity, and empower marginalized communities with resources to grow their own food.
To learn about volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved, contact Rosa Gonzalez at director@farmtopantry.org. Join Farm to Pantry as they embark on an important shift: moving hunger relief away from a charitable model toward self-sustaining food justice for our resilient community members.
To learn more about Farm to Pantry visit https://www.farmtopantry.org/.
