Our latest spotlight features staff member Jerry Parrish, Director of Operations. We sat down with Jerry to learn more about his role at Harvesters and what inspires his work.

What is your role at Harvesters?

I am the Director of Operations at the Kansas Distribution Center and I oversee all operations in the facility from receiving to storage to processing to distribution.

How long have you been with the organization?

I have been with Harvesters for thirteen years.

What gets you up every morning to do this job?

I feel as though God put me in this position to open my eyes and let me see that it is within everyone to help those in need. Working for Harvesters gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I, in some small way, am having an impact in someone’s life because of what this organization means and does in its mission.

Tell us about the best day you’ve had at Harvesters.

It is not something we do anymore, but we used to have a TEFAP give-away on one day per month at the KDC facility. We would have the entire staff along with volunteers and some help from staff in Kansas City out in the agency pick-up area prepare for the distribution. Cars would line up for blocks and we would spend the entire day giving out food. Combining the TEFAP with produce, bread and dairy, we would give out between 70 and 80 thousand pounds of food. I would frequently be completely worn out by the time we were finished, but there was always a since of accomplishment knowing how many neighbors received food on that one single day.

If you could tell Harvesters’ supporters one thing, what would you say?

Imagine there was no Harvesters to deliver food to those in need. Imagine our neighbors not being able to get over 60 million pounds of food per year.  Imagine how hunger would affect our communities and how children, adults and seniors would go to bed hungry every night with no relief in sight. Can we afford to imagine that? Or, can we do something to make a difference in our community?