Hello, my name is William Torres and I am the new Community Outreach Coordinator VISTA at GleanKY!
I am currently a 4th year Public Health student at U.K. and I have been passionate about alleviating food insecurity since I was a kid. It started with my mother making my brother and me volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. This experience opened my eyes to how hunger issues are prevalent in Chicago. It really settled in when I arrived in Lexington and interned at God’s Pantry. After conducting visits to all 4 of their pantries in Lexington and writing a plethora of reports, it was clear to me that food insecurity was not just an inner-city issue. I started volunteering at the Lexington Health Department: WIC, and began a 3 month AmeriCorps position at the Greater Chicago Food Depository this past summer. It was rewarding to gain hands-on experience in the field of hunger in one of the most diverse cities in the United States.
I have been with GleanKY for a little over 3 weeks. So far, I have been getting familiar with GleanKY and slowly mapping out my community outreach plan. I have also tabled the Cane Run Watershed and Stamping Out Hunger festival. I am ecstatic to work for an organization that aligns with my personal and professional goals, and I am excited to see what these next 12 months have to offer. I am glad to be a part of the GleanKY team!!!