In 2006, when Marilyn Turner stepped into the Food & Friends kitchen for the first time, she knew she had found a special place. “I was working for an organization that had a community service committee and we picked Food & Friends for a volunteer night. And I was at that time wanting to find a place to volunteer more regularly, so when we walked through the kitchen, I knew that that was the place.”
Now, as she celebrates her 15th anniversary with Food & Friends, Marilyn recalls how she made the transition from volunteer to staff, “I loved cooking for a long time and just the feeling I got walking through the kitchen and helping. I called up the Volunteer Services team the next week and I became a Monday night volunteer for close to two years before I moved over to be on staff.”
Marilyn had been working at the D.C. Jewish Community Center up to then, “My whole career has been part of development teams and specifically with individual donors. So, when I saw the job opening that aligned with what I was doing, I thought this is my chance to be here.”
“I started as the Major Gifts Manager, but then of course my role has evolved and expanded over time,” explains Marylin, now director of development, individual philanthropy.
She attributes her long-time dedication to the “Big Three” that have kept her coming back for 15 years: the mission, the team, and Food & Friends’ supporters.
“One, the mission. The impact we make, getting to walk through the kitchen and see every day the work that gets done is really inspiring. And then of course the team here, both within development and the broader organization. The collaboration and the work together, just our collective commitment to make sure that the clients get their food every day. And then the other is our supporters, donors and volunteers. They are amazing people I feel really privileged I get to work with and get to know,” says Marilyn.
Supporters of Food & Friends are the lifeblood of the organization, especially through the immediate impact and long-term aftereffects of the pandemic, “It’s been really amazing through the pandemic and afterwards how our supporters have really responded to the need and the growth we’ve been experiencing.”
“Every time we put out a call for special kitchen equipment or helping us install the refrigerator and the freezer, Food & Friends’ dedicated supporters have shown up,” says Marilyn. “We’ve grown almost 50% in two years – that would not be possible without our donors making sure we can meet the needs of the demand we’ve been facing.”
Outside of her time at Food & Friends, Marilyn continues to enjoy cooking, as well as spending time hiking, exploring, and sampling local cultural events.
Even apart from the office, Marilyn’s hobbies reflect her commitment to community-focused work, “I’m also involved in my neighborhood’s park and community garden; I just joined the board in January. We are the Friends of Noyes Park, which is a public park on Franklin Street NE in the Brookland neighborhood. We are stewards of the park. We advocate to make sure maintenance gets done, coordinate events and the community garden, and work with the gardeners to make sure it’s a really nice place for the community.”