Ron Stuedemann was introduced to CEAP as an employee at Medtronic, through a program where employees collected money to share holiday meals with families in our community. He was asked to join CEAP’s Board several years later to help us take a more strategic focus. “I wanted to help CEAP ask the right questions. What do we need to do to be prepared 5, 10 years down the road? Do we have the right people? Right partners? What’s most important to us?” Ron says.
Ron and CEAP’s staff and Board really focused on building relationships with food partners and identifying new revenue streams, especially as we began planning for the Northwest Family Service Center. Ron knew that it was important for CEAP to build sustainable partnerships so that we can adapt to meet the changing needs of our community. He helped us develop a longer-term strategy to ensure that our support from volunteers, donors, and food partners alike could grow along with our community.
To Ron, CEAP is really all about relationships and propelling our entire community into a stronger and healthier future. “The thing I always loved about CEAP is not only do you take care of people, you put a lot of effort into helping people get out of poverty,” Ron says. “You help people meet their needs today and tomorrow but also in the future.”
