Annually, March is designated as Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month celebrates all women’s contributions in American history and honors the generations of trailblazing women, girls, and non-binary persons who have built, shaped, and strengthened our communities.

Every day, women help make our organization and communities a better place with their leadership, strength, and resilience. The San Antonio Food Bank is proud to serve alongside our women hunger fighters and serve our women neighbors.

We want to highlight inspiring women who have helped shape the Food Bank by being pillars of healing and hope for their families and our community. In doing so, we are honored to share their journeys and stories with you.

Explore the journey of Melanie McGuire, the Food Bank’s Chief Programs Officer:

Where are you from and how did you end up calling San Antonio home?

I grew up in Washington, D.C. raised primarily by a single mother and a community full of amazing people. My journey to San Antonio started as taking one of the biggest risks in my career, by leaving what I thought would be a lifelong dream of working in educational policy to food security. During this journey I met some of the most amazing people in our food bank network. Through building relationships I always admired the forward thinking of the San Antonio Food Bank. I am delighted to be part of our hunger fighting team.

How did you get your start at the San Antonio Food Bank?

I started my role at the San Antonio Food Bank within its Executive team. I learned about our shared vision and had the opportunity to help connect Food Bank programs and services to better ensure our service to the community.

For 10 years prior, I had the opportunity to work for Second Harvest Food Bank in New Orleans. I first volunteered with at that Food Bank as a way to better learn about my community at the time. My passion for understanding the food policy impact, sparked the connection that ignited my passion for policy through service.

Through my leadership journey, I have had the opportunity to interact and collaborate with my fellow peers on new ideas, initiatives, and innovative strategies to better serve our community.  

What motivates you to be a non-profit leader?

I believe that leadership is not a rank, but an opportunity to look after the person to the right and left of you. For me this is our staff, our community, and those that struggle each day to meet their needs.

I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to work alongside “great minds” that work every day to ensure that we are supporting our neighbors.

What does serving your community mean to you?

To my serve my community means that I am grounded in listening to the needs of others. Our work is grounded to help people today, tomorrow, and a lifetime.

Through listening, we can understand our opportunities and evaluate how we continuously improve our work. Often times, I find the most value in hearing the stories our those we serve and the impact our services have on their lives.

Who are some of your favorite women or non-binary trailblazers and/or mentors?

My favorite leader and mentor is my mother. My mother was born in La Paz, Bolivia and immigrated to the United States with $500.00 to her name in the late 1970’s. She spoke little to no English and had a dream of being a medical assistant.

While her life was full of struggles, she was a constant light of positivity and determination. She not only raised me through the kindness of strangers but also imparted the importance of education, culture, and faith to me.

She has truly shaped who I am as a leader and a person.

How is “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” important to you?

Promoting hope means increasing happiness, reducing stress, and offering healing. As women, mothers, leaders, and frontline workers hope is at the core of what we do each day.

I often tell my staff that my greatest role is to ensure the well-being of my team. We all have an opportunity to do more of this. When we promote hope we express a desire for a positive dream or aspiration to occur. The wonderful thing about this feeling is that it is often contagious and that feeling is felt by others. I can think of many times in our history when we saw the message of hope shine through.

What is your best advice for girls or non-binary future leaders?

My best advice to girls or non-binary future leaders is to remember the power of your voice. As a group, we are powerful, courageous, visionary, and so much more.

Your journey make take you down many paths, but all of these attributes and more make you an amazing human being.

Explore more journeys and learn more about how the San Antonio Food Bank is honoring Women’s History Month at safoodbank.org/womens-history-month.