Meet Nourish Staff Member Monica

This month, we are spotlighting another member of our team: Monica! Originally one of our founding members, Monica has supported Nourish since the beginning and now specializes in Philanthropy and Community Engagement.

Q: What inspired you to join the team at Nourish?

As a long-time supporter, cheerleader, and founding member of Nourish, I was very excited for the opportunity to help Nourish Nova Scotia grow and make a greater impact. Knowing that I could help others contribute to building a brighter food future for our youngest citizens really inspired me to join the team at Nourish.

Q: What do you enjoy most about working at Nourish?

I enjoy building relationships with people who care about healthy food opportunities for our children and youth. It’s a great thing to get to talk about Nourish to others each day – connecting them with our programs and impact stories and celebrating our champions. I enjoy working with an amazing group of passionate people, from staff to volunteers, who care deeply about kids’ health and academic success through the food program work we do. I’m also grateful for the growing support from so many like-minded people from our volunteers to our donors and sponsors, through volunteer opportunities, partnerships, and our annual campaigns – such as our Holiday Card campaign – as ways to contribute to “nourishing” our future.

Q: If you could wave a magic wand, what would your wish be for the food landscape in Nova Scotia?

If I could wave a magic wand, I would ensure that all children have equitable access to nutritious meals, beyond school breakfast, and have sufficient yet quality food to help them thrive where they live, learn and play. My wish would be to change the food environment by inspiring others to join our mission so healthy food opportunities are the norm. Engaging others in prevention and upstream approaches to health is big work and I know working with our donors and supporters will help change the food landscape for our kids.

Q: What is your favourite food and why?

I absolutely love avocados! Not only are they delicious, healthy, and easy to eat, but they also connect me to my Cuban heritage. Growing up as first-generation Canadian, I was lucky to have been exposed to many flavours and foods—the food at my home was always interesting and different. This is something I truly value now as an adult, knowing that eating avocados, along with plantains, sofrito, and black beans, helped shape my food appreciation and eating habits.