Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Making Change – Hunger & Food Justice Spotlight

We are pleased to spotlight members of our community who are alleviating hunger and advocating for food justice locally, nationally, and around the globe. These individuals are bringing diverse perspectives and creative expertise to developing community supported agriculture, national feeding programs, and other sustainable solutions to food insecurity.

Click on the interviews below to read more about their experiences and dedication to this important work:

Jeff Sharlein

AVODAH
New York, NY, 2001

Jeff Sharlein participated in AVODAH in New York in 2001-2002. A social worker, Jeff currently volunteers with Earthworks Urban Farm in Detroit.

Kate Koester

Volunteer Summer
Honduras, 2007

Kate Koester was a group leader for AJWS Volunteer Summer in Honduras in 2007. A social worker who has focused on human rights and violence prevention, she is currently the Social Justice Team Co-Chair of the Kavana Cooperative in Seattle.

Maielle Helman

Volunteer Corps
Nicaragua, 1999

Maielle Helman participated in AJWS Volunteer Corps in 1999 in Nicaragua. She responded to our interview questions via e-mail from La Paz, Bolivia, where she is working for the World Food Program as a Leland Fellow of the Congressional Hunger Center.

Ilana Zafran

AVODAH
Chicago, IL, 2006

Ilana Zafran participated in AVODAH in Chicago 2006-2007. She continues to work at her AVODAH placement organization, Umoja Student Development Corporation, a model of school-community partnership that works to develop students as learners and leaders.

Read more profiles in the Alumni Spotlight archive.