Penny Pestle stepped down recently as Board President after an astounding eight-year run. She will continue as a board member and project leader as SFB-CRC moves forward. Surrounded by dedicated people she helped strengthen through her uncanny ability to forge relationships, there can be no doubt that the organization flourished and experienced tremendous growth under her leadership.

“Penny had a vision, not only for the food bank, but for the community,” mused Board Vice-President Curt Keim, as he and Executive Director Carlos Valles sat down together and discussed her accomplishments. “Penny had the knowledge, the personality, and the connections.”

“She knows how to develop relationships and maintain them,” Carlos agreed, “because she wants to build a community.”

A veteran in the world of non-profits and a seasoned observer of board/community and board/staff relationships, Carlos emphasized how unique Penny was in her role as president. She was hands on and masterful at making the connections needed for hiring staff, raising funds, persuading community leaders, developing programs, and all the other things essential in leading SFB-CRC to where it is now. He said she dreams big and then follows up. She builds on the triumphs and lets the defeats roll off.

“She knows how to move on. She’s not a grudge holder,” Carlos noted, recalling some of the battles she faced. Setbacks made her stronger and she never got bogged down with the negatives.

Some boards of non-profits can be more interested in titles and influence, but Carlos described her unique knack for lifting others with no need for personal recognition, and how she always rolled up her sleeves and pitched in with staff and volunteers whenever and wherever there was need. “She is 24/7 on call,” Carlos said. “She’s at every event no matter how small. This is her life and that’s what sets her apart.”

She put together the new Saguaro Skills Center pretty much single-handedly, they said, which included the bureaucratic nightmare of licensing and course work through the state. When CRC lost its director, she stepped in by herself to keep it going strong. “She was putting in ten-hour days,” Curt recalled. “She managed that and made it work.”  

“She maintained the continuity,” Carlos agreed. He said she created an atmosphere that made him feel that he and his staff and volunteers were part of decisions. “I don’t work for the Board, I work with it,” he explained.

Penny started out volunteering at the original food pantry begun by Jackie Smith at The Good Shepherd Church. Jackie envisioned combining food distribution with parenting classes, health/nutrition, financial advising, literacy, and support for entering the workforce. Together they formed a board. As the new president in 2015, Penny started carrying those visions to new heights. She used her corporate management and extensive community development consulting background to work with others to create Better Together, a community-wide collaborative organization that helped to spotlight how she and her colleagues and team members could provide vital services to countless underserved families and individuals in this area. She made connections with elected officials, government agencies, educators, donors, and dozens of other community leaders. “She is a bridge builder,” Curt put it.

“Penny has guided SFB into new territory with the establishment of the Saguaro Skills Center,” Jackie added. “Her dedication in working with clients to enhance their economic status is impressive and she provides a role model for all of us.”

Certainly “it takes a village,” as the saying goes, and Penny is the first to acknowledge all the work from staff, volunteers, colleagues, donors, and community members, but it was a remarkable journey she walked in leading SFB-CRC toward becoming an organization that provides, assists, trains, and gives people hope for a better future.

“My work with SFB-CRC has been the most meaningful of my life,” Penny said. “It has brought me great joy. I have been so fortunate to share with devoted community members, wonderful board and staff, dedicated volunteers, and generous donors our commitment to the mission of meeting immediate needs and providing resources to achieve economic well-being and family stability. Much remains to be done, and I am confident with a community like ours that has wrapped its arms around SFB-CRC, we will continue to build new successes ahead in service to those who need our help.”