After just over three years at the helm of the Barrie Food Bank, Sharon Palmer has handed in her retirement papers.
Palmer, who will continue in the role as executive director until approximately the end of August, told BarrieToday she’s looking forward to spending her impending influx of free time focusing on a variety of different activities.
“I am coming close to the normal retirement age and I just felt that I have some opportunities in my personal life to do some of the things that I want to be able to do. Sometimes you wait too long and those choices and opportunities no longer exist,” she said.
Palmer says she loves the outdoors and is excited to get out hiking, camping, skiing or sailing.
“I decided I wanted to give myself those opportunities. I felt like the time was right to take a step back and take a little bit of time for myself to be able to enjoy those things while I still can," she added.
Palmer took on the role during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and acknowledged that each year brought with it its own unique challenge,
“The first year, we were still dealing with a lot of health restrictions and that was affecting our volunteers and the kind of service we could provide,” she said.
The second year, Palmer said, is when the decision was made to implement the Marketplace model, which saw the food bank move from a pre-bagged groceries to a self-shop model.
In addition to allowing those who need food support to choose items based on dietary needs, family size and composition the model reduces food waste and adds more dignity to the experience.
“We were also starting to see increased use. That was partially because of the financial pressures people were feeling with the high rent, incomes not keeping up with the cost of living, and high inflation rates. That was a challenge,” she said.
“The marketplace helped us with some of the demands on the organization, but also we had to deal with needing to secure more food ... and that put additional pressure on us just to be able to meet that increased demand for the service.”
This past year, Palmer and her team have been focused on the growth as well, and implemented an appointment system as well as extending hours even further in order to better deal with the increases.
Most recently, Palmer led the organization to achieve Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence accreditation – making it the first food bank in the province to achieve this high level of performance on operations, governance and administration, client care, health and safety, food safety, fundraising, and marketing and communications.
“Each year, I’d say since I started, has had its challenges and opportunities. I think we have evolved quite a bit from where I started. Lots of learning, but good challenges I think … and the food bank is in a good place,” she said. “I feel good about where we are sitting right now. I am sure there will continue to be challenges and new things to face, but that’s the way of all food banks right now.”
The last three years have been “the most rewarding part of my career by a lot,” said Palmer, who prior to taking on the job worked as director of strategic service for Contact Community Services, worked at Kids Help Phone as well as working in digital marketing and consumer research.
“It’s really wonderful to see the support of the community and to see how generous and supportive people are when they understand that there are other people in need,” she said. “That is very special to see that.”
Palmer told BarrieToday she was grateful to be surrounded by such a dedicated group of people — both staff and volunteers — over the last three years.
“You also get to see the gratitude of the people who are receiving the food and accepting the help. That is special as well. Some people may think it would be an unhappy environment, but that’s not true. It’s a very positive and reaffirming environment for just the generosity and kindness of the people around us.”
Ab Falconi, chair of the board of directors, expressed gratitude for Palmer’s leadership, noting she leaves behind a “legacy of compassion, dedication, impact and excellence.”
“We are immensely grateful for her exemplary service and wish her all the best in her retirement,” he stated in a news release.
Falconi said the board is committed to ensuring a smooth transition and continuing to advance the important work of Barrie Food Bank, and has already begun a “comprehensive search” for a new executive director to continue to move the organization forward.
The last three years, noted Palmer, were more than just a job, but rather a “real privilege” being able to serve the community.
“I am really grateful for the experience and …. how open and supportive the community has been both in providing food and financial donations, and in volunteers helping," she said. "It makes this job so much easier when you know you have this supportive community, volunteers and staff who are there to work with you and support you.
"It has meant the world to me and I know it will mean the same to whoever steps into this role. It’s a special place … you have to take that all in and appreciate what this community does to help people in need.”
