Tiffany Nguyen, CEAP Board Member, joined the CEAP community in 2008 as an administrative and communications staff member. She knew she wanted to do something to help other people after college and decided to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. “I wanted to work with CEAP because it’s an organization that helps people in my own backyard,” Tiffany says. “CEAP brings all kinds of people together.”
Tiffany’s role with CEAP morphed several times over the years, but one thing remained consistent: she got to work with great people. Tiffany was always inspired by her fellow staff members and especially volunteers, who do really important work without getting paid. In fact, Tiffany loved the CEAP community so much that working for CEAP became a family affair. Her mom volunteered for and worked with CEAP for many years, and her sister joined the team as a Meals on Wheels coordinator!
Getting the word out about CEAP was a major part of Tiffany’s job. It was important to her and the rest of the CEAP team that CEAP is a nimble, adapting organization that meets people as they are. This mindset and CEAP’s culture of abundance is what led to CEAP becoming a choice-model food shelf, in which our neighbors come into our Food Market to shop for the food that they need and want. “Visiting CEAP should be a normal, dignified experience. As a mom, I know that it really does take a village and no one can do life by themselves,” Tiffany says.
“People deserve access to the food they know how to use. In the food sector, there’s often an assumption that people want what we consider staples, but in the melting pot of the Twin Cities, that might not be true.”
Tiffany has developed life-long friendships through CEAP. Because of her work with CEAP, Tiffany and her family chose to live in Brooklyn Park six years ago. She now serves on CEAP’s Board! “CEAP was part of the formative years of my life, and I know it will be a huge aspect of my life for many years to come.”
