Bob came into The Gathering’s office with a photo of the back of The Gathering’s van full of lettuce, milk, eggs, bread, desserts and more.
“Can you believe all of the good food we got?”
He was talking about his recent excursion to Feeding America, where he and Rosy, the Gathering’s breakfast cook, stopped in to see what they could use for the breakfast meal. Bob’s enthusiasm was contagious as he showed the picture around the office.
Bob loads fresh milk into the van with a smile on his face.
After a few weeks of training with long time Operations Managers Dennis and Jim, Bob has been at the position for four weeks. He is already working to balance ordering food, driving to pickups and deliveries, measuring quantities for meals, recipe planning, food storage and more. The Operations Manager position is one of multi-tasking.
Bob, who runs an insurance agency with his wife Sue, certainly knows multi-tasking. In addition to his work with the Gathering, Bob still spends time selling auto, home and life insurance primarily to families. He also spends time with his own family; 4 children and 7 grandchildren.
“I am happiest when spending time with my family ... doing just about anything.”
When not working or spending time with family, Bob has also volunteered at the VA and the Red Cross. That’s how he first got interested in the nonprofit sector. He explained that the Gathering’s job post was similar to his work with the Red Cross.
“I know Milwaukee has a lot of needs and I felt I could blend nicely with this position.”
Bob has been blending nicely with the Gathering community the past few weeks. When asked what his favorite part of the job is so far, he responded:
“Without a doubt, the people. The volunteers at the sites are great to work with, as are the partners again that I have met at the places that help us. I also enjoy the staff at the south side, St James and of course the people at our office who have made me feel very welcome! All of that plus just knowing that what I do does make a difference. The people who come to our meal program not only get a meal, but they get to come in to a safe warm place to enjoy a meal and be with other people who care.”
We are thankful to have another committed, passionate person join the Gathering’s team. You can see Bob Monday through Friday on the Gathering’s van. He’ll be the one with cases of fruit and bread.