OUR VISION, MISSION, AND VALUES

Vision: A Healthy Hunger Free Tulare County

Mission: To promote equitable and dignified access to nutritious, healthy food while also addressing the root causes of hunger through education, advocacy, and food systems change

Values: Trust, Collaboration, Respect, Compassion, Food with Dignity

Meet the Board

Rie

Rie Reniers

Board President

Rie has served on the board since 2016. She is a registered nurse and self-titled “professional volunteer” who is passionately engaged with many community benefit efforts as well as her family’s foundation.

david

David Terrel

Vice President

David, originally from Pixley and board member since 2015, is the Athletic Director at Mission Oak High School. He is passionate about reducing food waste and supporting FoodLink’s vision to end hunger in Tulare County. He enjoys biking with his wife and cheering his teams on to victory

Alma

Alma Torres Nguyen

Secretary

Ms. Torres Nguyen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Masters in Public Health. She has over 20 years of experience coordinating public health programs. Currently she is a Program Coordinator for the Community Outreach Department at Kaweah Delta Health Care District. Alma believes in the power of prevention, the importance of building community, and civic engagement.

1624459895216_2

Lee Johnson

Board Member

Lee joined the board in 2020 after retiring from the Kings County Department of Public Health as the Supervising Environmental Health Officer. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and a Master’s in Public Health and is interested in resource sustainability and social justice issues.

IMG_0718

Bridgette Bechtel

Board Member

Bridgette started with FoodLink in September of 2020. She has a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition with a concentration in food service management. She grew up locally in Visalia and currently resides in Tulare. Bridgette has a passion for helping others and also provides transportation in the community through another local nonprofit called Hands in the Community. In her spare time, Bridgette enjoys cooking and sharing food and nutrition tips.

M-A pic

Mary-Alice Nichols

Board Member

Mary-Alice Nichols is originally from the Bay Area, and moved to the Valley in the Fall of 2018. Philanthropic work has always been a big part of her life, and most recently she worked at Salesforce.org in San Francisco helping nonprofits accelerate their missions by adopting cloud technology. Now, working in the Ag and Food industry, she is passionate about healthy eating and nutrition, and making sure everyone has access to nourishing food and wholistic nutrition education.

Our Staff

Nicole Celaya (she/her), Co-Executive Director

Andrea Kelly (she/her), Co-Executive Director

Tracey Pinuelas, USDA TEFAP Program Manager

Harlye Sanchez, Relief Services Program Manager

Gabriel M. Navarrete, Warehouse Manager

Brenda Gutierrez Mora (they/them), DEEP Roots Program Manager

brenda@foodlinktc.org

Genna Kules (she/her), DEEP Roots Program Assistant

genna@foodlinktc.org

Judith Weese, Inventory Specialist

Arturo Garcia Trejo, Program & Warehouse Assistant

Christopher Ramirez, Program & Warehouse Assistant

Nai Saechao, Program & Warehouse Assistant

Karla Maldonado, Program & Warehouse Assistant

Nathanel Chappell, Program & Warehouse Assistant

Justin Pendleton, Program & Warehouse Assistant