Nearly 10 years ago, current Executive Director Chrissy Petersen came to Westminster as the Food Pantry Director. In 2016 Chrissy was appointed as the Interim Executive Director, and officially assumed the role in 2017. Over the last decade Chrissy has witnessed an ever-changing neighborhood, stood by neighbors as a friend, and walked with them through the many challenges of life.

 

In her first year at Westminster, Chrissy was talking to a little boy who lived next to the building on State Street. The summer program was taking a field trip that day, and he told her that he was "excited to take a trip to the city.” He had never been outside the neighborhood. In that moment, Chrissy became aware of how much of an impact Westminster can have on the lives of our neighbors.

 

As we enter our 40th year serving the community, we know that the Near Eastside is changing, so we ask, "How do we keep up with the change? How do we continue to have an impact?"

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Chrissy's answer is simple: "Building relationships, talking to the neighbors, hearing what they need, and doing something about it."

 

Thanks to our amazing donors, volunteers, and dedicated staff members like Chrissy Petersen, we are able to continue to make those changes and have an ever-lasting impact in the lives of our neighbors.

 

Without our donors we wouldn’t be where we are today. Whether it is $5, $500, or $5,000 – every donation makes a difference. It all gets poured back into the community. Help us reach our goal of 40 monthly donors in honor of 40 years of service - click the button below!