Kandy is taking on the new role of Director of Program Services. We asked Kandy to share a little bit about how she got involved with HCCM and gave her a few fun questions to answer.
Our church had supported HCCM and I thought it would be a great place to work and get involved with helping our community. Over the years my position has changed many times, with the addition of working with our wonderful volunteers, and managing our pantry processes; from ordering and sourcing our food needs, handling food drives, to coordinating our Laces event and other activities. I enjoy coming to work and seeing the selfless and compassionate volunteers who make our organization run so smoothly! Many have become dear friends!
What are you most excited about in your new role? My new role will encompass the food, client, and volunteer programs at HCCM. I am excited to work on developing a process or track for our clients to encourage them towards independence. This will involve identifying their most urgent needs and finding pathways to success. We will track our progress in this program to identify how we are meeting our mission to break the grip of hardship, hunger, and hopelessness for our neighbors.
What do you like most about HCCM? I have been at HCCM for over 13 years, and I love the relationships that have been built over the years. I enjoy getting to know all our awesome volunteers and being a part of each other’s lives. The staff works together so well, and I appreciate all the gifts and talents that each person brings to the organization. It truly is incredible how well the staff and volunteers flow together.
If you could choose a fictional character to be your mentor in this new role, who would it be and why? I can’t think of a fictional character as a mentor, so I am going to choose a real Biblical character, Solomon. Though King Solomon obviously had some other character flaws, he is known for his wisdom. In my role of dealing with clients and volunteers, I desire to have an abundance of wisdom in making correct decisions, having discernment, and being fair and just. I would greatly desire to have the capacity to do what’s best for all involved.
What's the most exciting thing about your new role that makes you want to jump out of bed every morning? Most exciting thing – I love having a goal and creating steps toward having a more efficient and effective process for all our programs that would most benefit our clients and empower our volunteers.
If you had a magic wand to solve one challenge in your new position, what would it be and why? If I had a magic wand, I would create a person who has all the knowledge about every existing program in our area that would be a benefit to our clients and our organization. It is going to be a learning curve to become well-versed in the services that are available in our area, but I look forward to expanding and exploring my view!
