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The Sacramento Bee and Nehemiah Leaders Programs are celebrating this year’s 60 Change Makers. Join them at our gala at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at the Grand Sheraton in downtown Sacramento. Buy tickets at sacramentochangemakers.com.
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On a Thursday morning distribution at the South Sacramento Interfaith Partnership Food Closet, Executive Director Simon Yeh weaved through small spaces packed with volunteers, clients and literal tons of food — doing everything it takes to serve 250 families in two and a half hours.
At the supply intake area, Yeh saw a new volunteer awkwardly unpacking a package of beans layered two cans deep, wrapped in plastic.
“What’s your name — Barry? Barry is taking my job today. Can I show you something?”
Yeh took the utility knife from the volunteer’s hand and made four swift cuts around the perimeter, quickly and elegantly releasing the product in a way that makes it obvious he’s done it thousands of times. Then he demonstrated his method for opening boxes of bagged lentils — with his keys, so that the bags don’t get pierced.
This life of addressing client needs, stacking eggs and sorting out logistics at a food bank has been Yeh’s for around seven years, a marked departure from his previous career. A decade ago, Yeh was at the top of corporate America, managing billions of dollars for Hewlett Packard and SunPower Corporation as treasury consultant.
“I did very well in the corporate world, but it wasn’t satisfying,” Yeh said.
Yeh left a substantial salary and benefits behind to work for the small nonprofit initially as a supervisor, eventually working his way up to executive director. In addition to the daily distribution grind, Yeh works to create relationships with grocery stores and local institutions to expand SSIP’s reach. When he started at the food closet, they averaged about 70 clients a day. Now, a typical food distribution serves 250-300 clients.
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Each client receives a heavy box of goods including fresh produce, frozen food, USDA shelf-stable goods and eggs or dairy products. Families of more than five receive twice the amount. The only thing required to receive a box is a form of identification.
The morning operation is a well-oiled machine operating within around 1,000 square feet. Every day, volunteers and (the few) employees check in clients, process deliveries, sort thousands of pounds of food, package hundreds of boxes and allocate them to clients while simultaneously preparing for the following day’s distribution. Yeh, on any given day, touches any or all of these tasks as needed.
Dyhana Stewart began volunteering four years ago, after she saw Yeh on TV news. She said it has been rewarding to see Yeh’s evolution as a leader.
“He is a servant leader,” she said. “He’s not only someone who says, ‘can you do this, this, and this?’ He actually gets in there and will do this, this, and this. He leads by example.
Yeh and his team together overcame one of the food closet’s most challenging periods when SNAP funding went dry last fall, SSIP made sure they could feed an increasingly desperate clientele. Those months were challenging, but they made it through thanks to a committed group of volunteers, a strong client community and Yeh’s leadership.
“When you’re in the corporate world, you’re not choosing the company because of the mission, you’re choosing because of the pay,” Yeh said. “In nonprofits, you’re here because of the mission because you know the pay’s never going to match, but you go home and say, ‘that was darn rewarding.’”
Read more ‘The north and south divide’: Folsom feels effects of south of Highway 50 growth