Provision Packs Board of Directors 2023 -2025
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Carrie Torres is the founder and Director of Provision Packs. The story of our mission comes straight from my heart. It’s about loving thy neighbors, building a community together, supporting children, and most importantly, living beyond myself. Like many of us, life has been a roller coaster—blessings come and go, good times come and go, and sometimes life is harder today than it was yesterday. But at the end of the day, many of us are blessed enough to take a moment and a "pack", and invest in a child's health, both physically and emotionally. Over the past four years, I’ve often said that if Covid taught us anything, it’s how quickly life can change and how we can go from thriving to struggling. Not all of us can always help, and sometimes those who help may find themselves in need of help. I hope that together we continue to build a community that always has a hand up. Most of all, I want to thank each of you for trusting me to lead this organization. To our supporters and donors, it is the greatest honor that you invest in Provision Packs so that we can invest in our community. To those who have received our packs, I hope you feel the love from myself and everyone within Provision Packs. |
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Amy Knox has been actively involved with Provision Packs since 2015. “I started actively helping pack weekly when Provision Packs was serving one school, Pathways Elementary, and feeding only six kids per week,” said Amy. Fast forward to now, and Amy serves as the Operations Manager, where Provision Packs supports over 1,000 kids per week at twelve local elementary schools in Volusia and Flagler Counties. Knox enthusiastically volunteers countless hours each week at the Pantry. She brings many skills to the table from her career and post-secondary education in community planning. On a weekly basis, she helps coordinate the packing process from setup to packing to delivery and serves as the primary contact with Second Harvest Food Bank, where she places weekly food supply orders to fulfill the Provision Pack menu consisting of proteins, fruits, vegetables, starches, and grains, along with snacks. Knox is passionate about what she does, truly believes that all kids deserve a “fair chance,” and finds joy in helping those in need. Without Provision Packs, many of these kids and families would simply be struggling on the weekends with regard to daily nutrition. Amy says, “If we can help lessen one burden on these kids and families every week, why not help out?" If you are looking to support a local charity, Knox encourages you to check out Provision Packs. Under her tenure as Operations Manager, it is her hope to continually expand Provision Packs to fulfill the hunger gap that exists for so many kids in our area. In her spare time, Amy loves to play golf, watch sports, take photos, play word or card games, and spoil her nieces and nephews. For those of you who don’t know, Amy is a huge Wisconsin Sports Fan, cheering on her beloved Badgers, Brewers, and Packers every season. Amy would like to personally invite anyone with an interest in helping children to contact her, and she will happily give you a tour of Provision Packs and explain the program in detail. |
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Casey Epton Roush has been involved with Provision Packs for the past six years. She manages and coordinates all of our events, such as our Back Pack Bash, the upcoming Golf Tournament, the Rive Scramble, and more! Casey said she loves the Provision Packs mission and that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they receive their packs—'they' are so proud to be taking food home to help feed their family'. |
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Dawn De Jesus has been associated with Provision Packs for the past four years. Currently, she is the secretary on the board of directors. Dawn personally sees the impact that Provision Packs has on the kids we serve. She packs and delivers the bags to Ortona Elementary, where she has been a volunteer for the past six years, as well as tags and passes out the bags to each of our students. "They not only look forward to receiving them, but are also empowered knowing they are bringing food home for their families. When you see the smiles on their faces, your heart grows within your chest," said Dawn. Dawn was also the PTA President at Ortona Elementary for two years, the District Advisory Council Representative for several years, and she has been a SAC member as well. |
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Lara Butera joined the Provision Packs team in 2017 and was asked to be on the board in 2018. She served as the secretary for over a year, then became the volunteer coordinator. She felt the pull to join after her second child was born and saw Carrie's video on Facebook explaining what Provision Packs does. She had no idea there were hungry children in our city. As a mother of two young children, Lara had a hard time imagining them being hungry or having to go without. In addition to Lara's passion for helping others, she's good at volunteering and events, getting people to help out, contacting businesses, and putting gift baskets together for fundraisers. Since leaving the regular workforce, non-profit work has consumed all of her time. When people ask what she's up to, she is eager to tell them about Provision Packs! She enjoys being on the board and volunteering because "I love being able to see the difference we make in children's lives. I see the help we give. I know firsthand the difference that it makes." |
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Melissa Pitts and her husband Damion own Blue Chip Shutters & Blinds in Ormond Beach. They support every event that Provision Packs holds. Melissa has been a big part of the Provision Pack family for several years. She delivers bags to Holly Hill each week during the school year. She also serves as a great community supporter for Provision Packs. |
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Nicole Sherriff has been a state-certified school psychologist since 2008. She has a passion to support young students meet their full potential. Working closely with students in Flagler and Volusia counties, she hears and sees the hunger needs of local children and their families first-hand. In 2015, after attending several Provision Pack events, she was inspired by the mission's impact and ease of accessibility for any family in need. "Provision Packs doesn't require any application or paperwork to start helping a family. If there is a need, it can immediately be met." In 2021, Nicole began volunteering in various fundraising events to help PP expand their reach. She's served as a donation fundraiser for the silent auctions at the Backpack Bash, Provision Pack’s largest fundraising annual event. She also assists in event planning and execution for Provision Pack’s River Scramble. In 2023, she was asked to officially join the board as the Provision Pack School Liaison. Having professional connections with school staff and administrators has enabled Provision Pack to reach families each week at the school they attend. "I am so grateful to volunteer at such a wonderful organization. We feed children and families in need, one pack at a time." |
