by Michael Bisch
After leading Yolo Food Bank through significant growth and transformational change for nearly four and a half years, including the most successful Big Day of Giving outcome of any Yolo County nonprofit in history on May 5, the organization’s board of directors on Tuesday informed me that I would no longer be serving as Executive Director, effective immediately.
The past four plus years have been the most fulfilling and inspiring years of my nearly 40-year professional career. I was fortunate to recruit and mentor a very strong, dynamic team despite a challenging labor market. My former staff members, together with the amazing volunteers, and generous fund and food donors, have much to be proud of.
During my tenure at Yolo Food Bank, I was honored in 2018 to be selected as the Davis Chamber of Commerce “Executive Director of the Year,” only to be followed by the selection of Yolo Food Bank as “Nonprofit of the Year” in 2020, prompted by an extraordinary response to pandemic-driven food assistance needs. Similarly, in 2019, the Woodland Chamber of Commerce awarded “Business of the Year” recognition to Yolo Food Bank. And, after dramatically increasing food distribution activity in the city of West Sacramento, Mayor Martha Guerrero in 2021 presented Yolo Food Bank with a “Civic Leadership for Community” award. Additionally, it was inspiring to lead a team that produced these noteworthy accomplishments:
- Leading the $5.1 million phase II of the “End Hunger Yolo” capital campaign in 2018 to fund a 300% larger operations facility
- Elevating pandemic food security countywide in a matter of weeks in March 2020, by answering the urgent, three-fold increase in food assistance and launching a new home delivery program
- Increasing the minimum staff compensation to a “living wage” and selection as a “Best Places to Work” in 2020 by the Sacramento Business Journal
- Adding more than 250 new food access events at 25 distribution sites countywide in 2021
- Garnering public support from important dignitaries and elected leaders deeply committed to food security, including UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, U.S. Congressman John Garamendi, U.S. Congresswoman Doris Matsui, U.S. Congressman Mike Thompson, and many others
- Cultivating significant partnerships with entities working on innovative food security solutions, such as the AI Institute for Food Systems and UC Innovation Institute for Food and Health
I have the highest regard for Yolo Food Bank donors, volunteers, my former colleagues, and our partners who collaborate daily to serve our neighbors in need. Residents struggling with poverty and near-poverty will be counting on them more than ever in the coming months and years. The food lines have grown dramatically longer this year as federal support for struggling residents has declined. Meanwhile, food procurement for food banks around the state has become increasingly challenging while funding for logistics requires increasingly creative philanthropic and community engagement. The combination of longer food lines and fewer resources presents a concerning dilemma for all food banks going forward. I’m deeply concerned for the wellbeing of those residents most dependent upon the charitable food system.
While my journey with Yolo Food Bank has concluded, I look forward to discovering new opportunities to apply the knowledge that I’ve gained, paired with my entrepreneurial spirit, to create better outcomes for the most disadvantaged among us in Yolo County.
