Senior Director, Capital Area Food Bank of DC, Northern Virginia branch (Lorton). Photos texts by: iPhone 4GS.
Cecelia Vergaretti had enough food growing up between her mother’s Italian cooking and dad’s profession as a milkman. But until she volunteered at a food pantry—after years as a lawyer and nonprofit worker—did she switch careers to help the hungry. From her morning coffee to that late night knock from a door-to-door salesman, here’s her day, by text. —Stefanie Gans
6:07 a.m. I hope the coffee is good this morning.
Why does Fatboy, the stray cat who adopted us, get fed before we do?
6:32 a.m. My husband always makes the coffee. He’s from Oregon, and coffee is serious there. I’ve not made coffee since we’ve been together, almost 17 years. I used to drink tea with milk. Now, I drink coffee, black.
Checking work emails and calendar to mentally prep my day.
I have a set meeting on Thursday morning so I will start in DC and end in Lorton. I want to get out of here early so I can miss traffic or it will take one hour.
6:51 a.m. Usually when I go to DC, I dress up a bit. Because I am also going on site visits, I will be in jeans. It’s more comfortable for me and the people I serve.
7:52 a.m. Pulling out of the driveway. 
8:17 a.m. Bumper to bumper.
8:56 a.m. First meeting is with Jodi Balis, food bank registered dietician about core menu items.
Next meeting is the set one with regional food bank leaders from DC and Maryland.
9:49 a.m. We are creating core items of nutritious [foods] that we will always have in inventory. About 60 items: nutritious, low sodium veggies; fruit in its own juices; fresh produce; pasta; rice; and certain meats.
We partner with several farmers who are local and … with Chesapeake Bay Foundation at Clagett Farm where we grow on about 20 acres, certified organic. This food goes out into the community and we provide training around it, how to use it.
11:55 a.m. Shopping floor is where our community partners choose items to go with orders they placed from the inventory menu or core items. The shopping floor lets them pick up additional items.
Warehouse: where items are pulled from inventory for orders placed by partners through online ordering system.
We have healthy recipes on the floor so people can get ideas.
Meetings so far were great. Region leaders discussed strategic use of mobile pantries in areas of high food insecurity balanced with places without many partners. They can be used as a stop gap measure as we work to build partner capacity.
[The Capital Area] Food Bank has one budget, the NoVA warehouse is MUCH smaller, but we constantly move product from DC to NoVA for distribution. Many retail store donations come straight to NoVA. The food goes where it is needed.
Last year NoVA distributed over 6 million pounds of food. It was an increase of 1.7 million pounds over the previous year, which shows that we are focused on the need and working hard to identify and reach pockets of underserved areas.
Our community partners get food from us to cover what their own donors cannot. Our partners come in all sizes: churches, nonprofits, community centers, homeless shelters.
12:16 p.m. I am leaving for NoVA. I missed first distribution.
12:37 p.m. On North Capital hoping no traffic coming back on 395. Paul Thorn on iPhone. Radio is to Top 40. News gets me upset.
1:01 p.m. I just gave someone 2 dollars. Some guy who looked down on his luck. He was standing on the island before the entrance to the Third/Fourth Street tunnel entrance.
He’s not my regular guy. My regular guy wears carpet padding and a huge Redskins blanket over himself. I mess with him about the NY Giants and worry when I don’t see him for a while.
1:31 p.m. [Getting] my Tuscan caprese salad on flatbread. I am addicted! The place [Delia’s] does not look like much from the outside, but I’ve never had a bad meal here. Portions are ridiculous. ADDICTED.
At desk. Not checked inbox yet.
1:49 p.m. After I scarf this down, I will walk the warehouse floor.
2:43 p.m. Staff on loading dock helping partners pack food from the Food Bank they will bring to their pantry.
3:03 p.m. In the warehouse, we can never have enough cereal, tomatoes of all kinds in cans, peanut butter, rice, oil, eggs, hotdogs.
4:43 p.m. People we get are just trying to survive. They are excited to get fresh produce. Eating canned goods every day is not enjoyable.
5 p.m. Local agencies or partners come to pick up food to bring to their pantries, where people pick it up. People do not shop here.
Today, 12 agencies shopped. They have 30-45 minutes to shop. The space is too small and they are pushing big flatbed carts like the ones at Costco.
5:15 p.m. My Food For Kids coordinator is at Fairlington Community Center to do a training. Summer Feeding is a USDA program and is highly regulated so all of the sites that get food from us need to understand the rules.
The population at the school is high poverty. About 86% of the kids there qualify for free or reduced price lunches. What we provide helps the families make it through. We feed about 285-300 households at this drop which means over 1,000 individuals. It’s a quick way to feed a lot of people in need.
5:33 p.m. We are closed. I am at my desk trying to catch up.
We are getting 2 tractor trailers tomorrow with USDA commodities. I am just making sure folks know what needs to happen.
We are putting in a new ordering system. I want to make sure that staff talk to partners so they can get double orders if needed.
I just submitted a report for the last quarter. USDA product fed over 28,000 people.
5:45 p.m. On my way to see Food For Kids. Young staff who have never done this so want to show support and see how they do. [The program is about] nutrition info so kids get a balanced meal.
The kids hate Salisbury steak. Think of a yuckie cafeteria meal. They like the meatball and parm subs! They always like the fresh fruit. I think the key is variety.
6:06 p.m. [At the meeting]. They have to serve food at correct temperature. Summer is hard for kids who will not get lunch at school. This helps them.
We have a rotating menu. We serve a fresh fruit every day but that is seasonal. We avoid nuts and pork in case of dietary restrictions or allergies.
I had practiced law for about 10 years in NYC. Moved to Oregon and got involved in nonprofit work. Moved back East and volunteered at a pantry. Realized how much food or lack of food affects one’s life. As a kid, I always helped my mom cook on Saturday … homemade tomato sauce, about 40 meatballs, hot Italian sausage and pasta. Big family and we always had enough for stray kids who showed up. My mom always made sure they went home with extra. My dad was a milkman. He made sure they got milk to take home. Breaking bread with people tears down any lines or perceived dividing lines, economic, ethnic.
I loved helping at the pantry so when a job opened at the Food Bank, I applied. I love being in the community and meeting people and [making] people smile because they know they will be able to feed their family.
Hardest part is pacing one’s self. It’s hard to stop. There are hundreds of thousands in the region who go hungry every day! We all try to help each other remember to take time to relax, enjoy life, family and friends. It’s hard to step back and remember that the next memo can be written tomorrow.
8:08 p.m. [At the program training.] The material is very dry. On evals, they said the best thing about the training was the trainer. I guess they don’t need me checking on them!
I am heading home. I have one memo to do, but I’ll take my own advice and write it in the morning.
I just ate a poppy seed muffin from the training.
My husband texted me. He is worried.
Stuffed mushrooms with feta, steamed asparagus, brown rice with chopped tomatoes, sun dried ones too. I am sure there is fresh garlic.
I guess the best way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach. The man can cook!
Driving home now.
8:17 p.m. Too tired to write coherently; It’s about a retreat for strategic planning. Each region has to come up with a plan that helps to accomplish overall strategic plan of Food Bank. We’ll analyze where we are and where we need to be, set goals, timelines etc. It means looking at data and going into neighborhoods to learn their needs and coming up with solutions that work for that community.
9:16 p.m. Bed time rituals… Get on my Kindle, play Words w Friends, about 12 different games. Play my sister in Ruzzle. She demolishes me. Read a little bit … “A Prayer for Owen Meaney” (reading it again). Fall asleep to talk radio, “Coast to Coast AM.” My poor husband.
9:30 p.m. Water on nightstand.
Just had pest control salesman at the door. How crazy at 9:30. He was very nice. From Idaho. Trying to make money and pay for engagement ring. We even saw picture of girl and ring. Nice kid. They use organic. I hate stinkbugs so why not try it.
If someone else knocks, we are not home.
9:45 p.m. Good night.
Edited for style and readability. Darn auto-correct.