After completing three years of a two-year term, Mike Warren will step down as Board Chair and return to a ‘regular’ seat on the Board of Directors of Food for Greater Elgin. He will be replaced by Scott Richmond, a long time board member and attorney for the pantry.
Richmond noted appreciation for Warren’s “always positive attitude, his commitment to the mission of FFGE, and his ability to propel the organization to great success. I greatly value the friendship we have and thank him from the bottom of my heart for his efforts as Chairman these past three years.”
For Warren, his service on FFGE’s board was an expression of his deep belief in the importance of community service. In the past, he has served on Elgin’s city council and currently serves on boards at the Elgin Academy, Sherman Hospital, and other local groups.
Warren has been a part of FFGE since its beginning and has been on the board of directors since 2011. There have been three time periods that stand out in his memory as the most significant:
The first was the time the creation of FFGE. Warren joined a group of people in 2010 who were in discussions about how to meet the needs of those who did not have enough food to eat, and to do so in a cost-effective manner. The early board included such notables as Steve Hendrickson, a project manager at Shales McNutt, Pastor James Marks of Bethesda Church of God in Christ (and with a background in retail grocery stores), and JoAnn Hartmann. McNutt served as a behind the scenes mentor to the early group. They worked with consultant Sue Erickson to organize a pantry that would be economically efficient but yet be empowering to people who needed assistance with food. The client choice model was decided upon, whereby guests of the pantry would come and shop from the available foods rather than simply receive a handout determine by others. Erickson became the pantry’s first executive director.
The second memorable time period is now. This is the time that Warren thinks of with the greatest pride. With the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic the need for food became paramount in the community, and the wider Elgin community rallied behind the efforts of Warren and other members of the Board to raise the necessary cash needed to address the fresh needs of the wider Elgin community.
“The Covid situation was really pretty remarkable for us,” said Warren. “It hit us on short notice, we really weren’t well-positioned to respond, but we quickly set ourselves up for success with a lot of investment from community stakeholders who were committed to making sure that people who are food insecure were protected at this critical time.”
Over 970 people, businesses, and foundations gave over $500,000 to support Food for Greater Elgin, going a long way to meet the needs of people who are short of food in this critical time.
The third most memorable time in his experience with the pantry is today. Warren commented that when he became chairperson, FFGE was in the last days of Michelle Frampton’s tenure as Executive Director, which was followed by JoAnne Hartmann’s service as interim director, then Shelia Jackson’ service as Executive Director, and finally Michael Montgomery’s term as a new interim executive director. “It will be exciting to see how FFGE will develop in the coming months and years.”
From all of us at FFGE: Thank you, Mike. You are valued and appreciated, and we are thankful to have you as a continued member of our board.