Maine’s Good Shepherd Food Bank Hires

Good Shepherd Food Bank is pleased to announce its recent hire of Meg Brown, nutrition and education coordinator, Jenny Jones, community resource representative, Heidi Krieger, community resources manager, and Joe Rice, Auburn Distribution Center supervisor.

Meg Brown, nutrition and education coordinator, works to provide nutrition resources, support, and education for the Food Bank’s Nutrition and Education program, partners, and clients. Brown is currently spearheading the launch of the Nutrition Pantry Program. This program takes a client-centered, trauma-informed approach to support policy, systems, and environmental changes within our local pantries and food-distribution sites. “Ending hunger is more than making sure people have enough to eat; it’s also about looking at root-causes, reducing stigma, and building resilience within our communities,” stated Brown. “While still in school and researching ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), I became interested in addressing food and nutrition insecurity through a trauma-informed lens. My research revolved around answering the question, “How do we not only help people survive but thrive?” Trying to find answers to this question brought me to the Good Shepherd Food Bank. The comprehensive approach the Food Bank has taken to end hunger in the state of Maine is groundbreaking. To say that I am proud to be part of this organization is an understatement.”

Before joining Good Shepherd Food Bank, Brown spent many years in the food industry and ten years managing a dental practice. From these life experiences, she grew a deep passion for helping and serving others in the state of Maine. Brown studied social and behavioral sciences at the University of Southern Maine and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work.

Jenny Jones is the community resource representative for Eastern and Northern Maine. In this role, Jones provides customer service, education, and support to Good Shepherd Food Bank’s partner agencies and retail store donors. Her passion for community capacity building and food insecurity brought her to work at the Food Bank. “I deeply value the connection food can have in bringing people together. I am so joyous when I can share a meal with friends and family. I want everyone to put the food they want on their table and share it with the people they love. Everyone deserves to have equal access to the food they need to nourish themselves. I’m excited to be joining the Good Shepherd Food Bank family so I can help bring dignified and equitable access to food to communities throughout Maine,” said Jones.

Previously, Jenny Jones spent five years as the executive director of the Bar Harbor Food Pantry. During her time at the community-based food pantry, Jones grew its visibility by expanding its social media presence, identified grant opportunities, secured news articles and collaborations with other organizations and businesses. She launched new distribution programs such as Fresh Food Fridays and a satellite produce distribution in partnership with Trenton Elementary. Before her time at the Bar Harbor Food Pantry, Jones worked in the field of education and came to Maine in 2001 from New Mexico for her undergraduate degree at the College of the Atlantic.

Heidi Krieger joined the Good Shepherd Food Bank team in January of 2021 as the community resources manager. She supervises, coaches, and mentors the remote team of community resource representatives by providing them with ongoing support in network compliance, professional development, and performance management, as well as partner capacity-building initiatives. Krieger is thrilled to be part of such a progressive and community-focused organization leading a statewide effort to combat the root causes of hunger.

“While working with children and youth, I saw, first-hand, the impact that lack of food had on their ability to participate fully and successfully day-to-day. I soon learned that hunger and food insecurity affect many more people than I could have imagined and am now compelled to work on a larger scale to help Maine end hunger. I am honored to be part of the Good Shepherd Food Bank team and work to achieve The Bold Goal of ending hunger in Maine by 2025,” stated Krieger.

She has spent much of her career working with children and youth, often those in at-risk situations. Heidi Krieger served for over 12 years as the director and executive director of Camp To Belong Maine. She served as the director of Girl Scout Discover Day Camps for several years and worked in the special education field with children needing social skills and behavior support. In all of her roles, she has been a fierce advocate for, and participant in, ongoing professional development, believing in the importance of constant access to timely and valuable educational experiences that will benefit the person and the organization. She looks forward to learning all she can about food banking and food insecurity to ensure that her team has the resources and tools needed as they work in their communities to combat hunger.

Krieger received her Master’s Degree in Adult Education, with a concentration in Training and Staff Development, from the University of Southern Maine.

Joe Rice joined Good Shepherd Food Bank in the summer of 2020 as a volunteer. Previously, he volunteered for many years at the Preble Street resource center. Rice joined the Supply Chain’s operations team as an inventory and quality management specialist, last fall, with many years of leadership and warehousing experience. In early 2021, he accepted the Auburn Distribution Center supervisor position.

“Volunteering at the food bank helped me recognize the importance of the work being done at Good Shepherd Food Bank and the impact that each of us can have in our community. I was able to see how focused everyone was on helping those in need and what a special environment it is. I quickly realized that I wanted to be a part of this organization as a full-time employee,” said Rice.

Joe Rice worked at L.L. Bean for over 30 years in several positions, primarily overseeing different areas of fulfillment. He gained extensive experience in all aspects of distribution and customer service and Human Resources through a variety of leadership positions.