How Claudia Bonilla Keller of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County Is Helping To Address The Growing Challenge Of Food Insecurity
An Interview with Martita Mestey
Stay humble and don’t take yourself seriously: I think as professionals in any endeavor, we tend to take ourselves seriously (and at times we should). But there comes a point in life where you can’t take yourself too seriously, especially as a leader. As leaders, we’re often the ones who receive the accolades for our organizations.
In many parts of the United States, there is a crisis of people having limited reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. As prices rise, this problem will likely become more acute. How can this problem be solved? Who are the leaders helping to address this crisis?
In this interview series, we are talking to leaders who are helping to address the increasing problem of food insecurity who can share the initiatives they are leading to address and solve this problem.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Claudia Bonilla Keller.
Claudia Bonilla Keller, an established nonprofit executive, joined Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County as Chief Mission Officer in February 2020 and was named CEO on January 1, 2022. She leads a team of 100+ employees in carrying out Second Harvest’s mission of providing dignified, equitable and consistent access to nutritious food for all who need it in Orange County, California. Keller serves on the boards of the California Association of Food Banks where she chairs the Policy Committee and the U.C. Irvine Alumni Association, and she recently completed a term on Feeding America’s National Council.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
My path to becoming the CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County was made possible through professional mentors who saw my potential and encouraged me to pursue opportunities outside my comfort zone. After nearly 20 years of work in the fashion industry, I moved to the nonprofit sector almost two decades ago and haven’t looked back. Initially I served as the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the American Heart Association (AHA) in Los Angeles County. In that capacity, I was able to bring my passion for health and gardening to the AHA’s signature childhood obesity platform: Teaching Gardens. Our work led to the creation of more school gardens and related school programs in Los Angeles than anywhere else in the country.
I then joined the LA Promise Fund as a Vice President of Student and Family Programming where I managed school health and wellness projects and programs. I was promoted to Chief Development Officer and eventually Chief Program Officer. LA Promise Fund provided a great opportunity to lead and develop programs in the organization’s network schools and public schools in South Los Angeles.
At both nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, I saw first-hand how hunger and food insecurity impacted both student health and academic success, along with the overall well-being of families. Food is foundational for the health and success of children, working families and seniors. This realization led me to seek a leadership position at Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, my home county.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting thing I’ve experienced in my career was the COVID-19 pandemic. I joined Second Harvest in early 2020 ready to learn food banking, immerse myself in this new role and leverage my previous program knowledge.
But when the world shut down just one month later in March 2020, the food banking business model changed overnight…permanently. We were living and working in a new normal. There was no playbook. COVID changed all aspects of food banking — how we source food, the types of food we procure, how we work with our Partner Network to distribute it, and the overall level of need.
Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
It cannot be understated how drastically COVID-19 changed my career and the trajectory of Second Harvest. When the pandemic took full effect and the world suffered a public health, social and economic crisis, the response of our organization shifted instantly and drastically. The crisis necessitated massive operational changes that were vital to serving the onslaught of community need. Orange County relies highly on travel and tourism, and thousands of hospitality workers were suddenly unemployed. Newly vulnerable people in other sectors also lost their jobs. These were individuals, families and seniors who had never accessed the emergency food system before.
The Food Bank’s entire operating model shifted overnight. While the need was skyrocketing, Second Harvest could no longer welcome volunteers to our distribution center due to shut-down and social distancing mandates. This meant that we could no longer accept community donations that required processing by those volunteers. Close to half of our network of pantries shut down and therefore stopped distributing food in their communities.
Within a week, Second Harvest began distributing food directly to the community in the parking lot of Honda Center in Anaheim, thanks to the collaboration of the Anaheim Ducks, the city of Anaheim, countless community partners and hundreds of volunteers. From this central O.C. location and for 16 consecutive Saturdays, thousands of cars snaked through the vast parking lot and stretched onto surface streets and freeway off-ramps.
Thanks to a groundswell of community donations and assistance from the state and federal government, we were able to keep up with the need including purchasing nutritious foods such as lean protein, eggs, dairy and fresh produce. It was gratifying to know that during this unprecedented and stressful time, we were providing consistent access to nutritious food, children, families and seniors in Orange County.
In 2021, we fortified our focus on providing nutritious food by establishing Harvest Solutions Farm, an innovative partnership with the University of California South Coast Research & Extension Center and Solutions for Urban Agriculture. Located on 40 acres in Irvine, California, the Farm is conveniently located just three miles from the Food Bank. Thanks to the support of community volunteers who plant, weed and harvest the produce, Harvest Solutions Farm yields over 50,000 pounds of fresh produce which will be distributed to community members in need within 72 hours. To date, Harvest Solutions Farm has produced almost seven million pounds of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables for Orange County.
Critical demand and changing norms called for a level of flexibility and resilience I had yet to call in in my career. This serves me well each day now.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am grateful for two people in particular who helped me to be the successful woman I am today.
The first is Roman Bowser, the Executive Vice President of the Western State Affiliate of the American Heart Association and my boss during my tenure at the organization. He saw potential in me to be a nonprofit executive and hired me from the private sector without any nonprofit experience. He genuinely had more faith in me than I had in myself. As Bowser expected, my for-profit skills translated well, allowing me to make a smooth transition into the nonprofit industry and be successful at AHA.
The second person I am grateful for is my boss at the LA Promise Fund, Veronica Melvin, who still serves as the organization’s CEO. Working under her for eight years, I learned what it takes to lead a nonprofit — grit, resilience and determination. With those important qualities, she has achieved amazing things and impacted thousands of lives. She continues to inspire me as a dear friend and mentor.
You are a successful leader. Which three characteristics, skill or traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
- Resilience: Every week during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new challenge arose. Our mantra at the Food Bank was “failure is not an option” because we truly could not fail our community. So, whether it was navigating without volunteers, food or other resources, it didn’t matter. We had to get out there, face the challenges and utilize our inner grit and determination to make sure that members of our county had the nutritious food they needed for themselves and their families.
- Sense of Humor: Our work is critical, but it is important to use humor to lighten situations that might otherwise derail morale. If someone makes a mistake, we acknowledge it, get through it, learn from it and move on.
- Public Speaking: While public speaking can be intimidating, it has allowed me to bring attention to the organization I work for and the important work being done. At the Food Bank, I’m happy to accommodate speaking requests whenever I am able. I love the opportunity to talk about our work.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson is: “A life well lived is usually not a straight line.”
I share this with young people all the time because I’ve lived it. From a very early age, we start thinking about our lives as a straight line. We’re told to go to school, attend college, get a job, marry, have kids. That’s not the case for many of us.
My life has been a winding path ever since I left high school. I wanted to be a doctor but wasn’t strong enough at science in college, so I ended up studying political science. And then, when everybody thought I would pursue a career in law, I went into fashion. From there, I switched to the nonprofit sector. Talk about a winding path!
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. Can you describe to our readers how your work is helping to address the challenge of food insecurity?
The fact is that food insecurity rates are alarmingly high and approaching levels we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic. Right now, in Orange County, California, one in 10 individuals is food insecure, and the percentage of those experiencing food insecurity is rising faster in Orange County than California as a whole. As the CEO of Second Harvest, I find these numbers particularly concerning. However, I’m proud to work alongside my dedicated team to ensure our partners provide community members in need with dignified, equitable and consistent access to nutritious food — at no cost — ensuring a solid foundation for community health.
To meet these growing statistics, Second Harvest has spearheaded a three-year strategic plan. This includes a campaign to bring awareness of food insecurity in Orange County. Hunger is often invisible in our society. It’s the mom or dad who skips a meal so that their child can eat. It’s the senior citizen forgoing a meal because they simply cannot afford groceries for three meals a day. We are currently in year one of the “Hidden Hunger Campaign,” which includes running ads through Meta and on display at John Wayne Airport as well as and on billboards along some Orange County freeways.
Can you share something about your work that makes you most proud? Is there a particular story or incident that you found most uplifting?
I’m most proud of our emphasis on the dignity of the community members we serve. In our marketing, we use uplifting, empowering imagery and messaging. The food we provide the community is nutritious, “front of life” (rather than towards the end of its life), nutritious and appealing. Food distributions of our Partner Network have a sense of community, encouragement and an overall feeling of “we’re glad you’re here.”
In your opinion, what should other business and civic leaders do to further address these problems? Can you please share a few things that can be done to further address the problem of food insecurity?
Business and community leaders can play a pivotal role in addressing food insecurity by first understanding the depth of the problem in their community. People in their own organizations are very likely experiencing food insecurity.
Armed with that knowledge, I would encourage them to get involved, which can be as easy as gathering a group of employees and volunteering at their local food bank. It provides an easy team building event and builds goodwill among an organization’s employees. Financially, businesses can also support their local food bank by making a corporate gift or becoming an event sponsor (which comes with visibility and marketing benefits). Organizations in the food manufacturing or distribution industries can donate food either in-kind or at a reduced rate.
Are there other leaders or organizations who have done good work to address the challenge of food scarcity? Can you tell us what they have done? What specifically impresses you about their work? Perhaps we can reach out to them to include them in this series.
A.G. Kawamura is a dear friend of mine and Chairman of the nonprofit Solutions for Urban Agriculture. As a third-generation farmer and producer he has a deep knowledge of farming here in California. His seven years of service as the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture provide further evidence of his expertise. For over four decades, A.G. has worked to address hunger and malnutrition through education about farming and urban agriculture. Collaborating with him and his team on Harvest Solutions Farm to grow a bounty of produce for the community is a privilege and high point of our work.
If you had the power to influence legislation, are there laws that you would like to see introduced that might help you in your work?
I would welcome a law policy change that mandates a living wage, such that anyone with a full-time job could cover their basic living expenses. I would also ensure that education was available for everyone who desired it, which would increase the likelihood of full-time employment.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Society sees nonprofit work differently from private or government work. Folks who devote their careers to the nonprofit sector often find themselves undervalued and underpaid. It’s unfortunate that equitable pay, respect and competitive benefits are not the norm in our sector. The challenges we face in securing adequate compensation are significant, often due to limited resources and the perception that our work is ‘charitable’ rather than professional. I wish somebody had told me that. I continue to advocate for those I work with and those in the sector because it’s important. Nonprofit work can be difficult and draining. If it were easy, the government or the private sector would be doing it.
- Give up on a work/life “balance”: Strive for work-life “integration” — some days you can work a long day, and some days you may end up leaving work early. YOU are responsible for that yourself. Nobody’s going to tell you not to answer the phone at nine o’clock at night. You must make that decision for yourself and your family. It took me a long time to do that, but I feel like I do it pretty well now. And I hope that the people I work with also have that integration.
- Don’t let the fear of fundraising hold you back. When I first started in nonprofit, fundraising seemed a bit daunting. I soon discovered that it’s not only fun, but also a fantastic way to engage people in philanthropy. I often advise young nonprofit professionals not to be afraid of fundraising, even if it’s not their primary role. It’s a responsibility we all share. So, I encourage everyone to embrace fundraising.
- Advocacy work is so important: Advocacy is a foundation in most of the fields that I’ve worked in. Health, education, and food insecurity are heavily influenced by government policy, at the local, state and federal levels. It wasn’t until I was well into my role at LA Promise Fund that I realized how critical policy work is. Advocacy is the way to achieve systemic, long-term change. When I came to the Food Bank, it was important to me that we build out our advocacy efforts. Through the support of our Board of Directors, we now have a full-time Government & Public Affairs Manager who is committed to this work and nurturing important relationships at all levels of government.
- Stay humble and don’t take yourself seriously: I think as professionals in any endeavor, we tend to take ourselves seriously (and at times we should). But there comes a point in life where you can’t take yourself too seriously, especially as a leader. As leaders, we’re often the ones who receive the accolades for our organizations. I’m very fortunate and blessed to be able to accept these awards. But I do so knowing that I represent the incredible work of the 107 Second Harvest employees and the nearly 300 pantries we work with. It really is a team effort, and our team is second to none.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I want to inspire a movement that gives the nonprofit sector its due in society. The work we do is critical. My hope is that younger people coming out of college and eager to make an impact on their community or world at-large will consider a career in the nonprofit sector. It is incredibly rewarding.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I can’t name just one since my life has taken so many paths! When I was a kid, I wanted to meet Winston Churchill because I thought he was incredibly brave standing up to the Nazis in World War II, and I aspired to that level of bravery.
One of my heroes as a young adult was Olympic athlete Florence Griffith Joyner. She was one of the first prominent female athletes to be recognized at that time. And she had an incredible sense of style. Fashion and track & field were passions of mine and she found a way to combine them. I wish I’d had the opportunity to meet her before her tragic and untimely death. She was such a powerful, inspiring woman.
In terms of someone alive today, I’d have to say Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2015. He is often maligned and criticized because of his tactics, and yet he continues to have a winning team. I’m a Dodgers fan, so I may be a little biased! I’d love to have dinner with him and get his advice, especially on brushing off criticism.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Please visit feedoc.org to learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County’s ongoing efforts and ways to get involved as a volunteer, donor or supporter.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much, and we wish you only continued success.
How Claudia Bonilla Keller of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County Is Helping To Address The… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.