Resourceful Recruiting

During the height of the COVID pandemic, I remember sitting in an interview and saying something that felt almost impossible at the time: “Getting people to come into work every day is going to be our biggest challenge.”

Everyone was scared. Everyone was stretched. And yet the work still had to get done - especially our work. We were responsible for getting food to people who were homebound, isolated, and relying on us more than ever.

So we took a different approach. We started recruiting from a local halfway house - individuals transitioning from prison back into society. People that wanted to rebuild their lives. What happened next was something I’ll never forget.

Every time we'd announce hiring - we’d have a line of people waiting for interviews. Not because the job was glamorous (working in a freezer environment is far from that). Not because the hours were easy (10-14 hour days). But because they were hungry for a second chance.

These men and women had limited hours when they were allowed to be outside the halfway house. They were never late. Not once. They showed up early. They showed up ready. They cared about the work. They cared about the mission. They cared about the people depending on us for their next meal.

In the middle of a global crisis - when hiring felt impossible and the world was struggling to stay afloat, this group became one of the most reliable, dedicated, and resilient workforces I’ve ever led.

They didn’t just fill a staffing gap. They helped us keep food on the tables of people who couldn’t leave their homes. They helped us meet demand when the world was breaking. They brought pride, purpose, and discipline into a moment defined by uncertainty.

Sometimes leadership means looking beyond the traditional hiring paths. Sometimes the most committed people are the ones who simply need someone to believe in them. And when you give a second chance, you don’t just change someone’s life - you build a team that can weather any storm.