Jim Hanna (he/him)Jim Hanna, MA, is Executive Director of the Cumberland County Food Security Council. He lives in Portland which has been his base to do food-system focused work since the early 90s. His children attended Portland Public Schools and he has spent much time working with and coaching students. He has been a Social Justice Influencer since (and even before) its inception!
Lilly Kendall (she/her)Lilly Kendall, originally from western Maine, moved to Portland a few years ago after her undergraduate study at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. During her time in college, Lilly studied food systems alongside elementary education and received a bachelor's degree in Human Ecology. Lilly's love for working with children in the outdoor classroom and observing how curiosity is sparked when students engage with the natural world led Lilly to serve as a FoodCorps Service Member with Cultivating Community and Gerald E. Talbot Community School in 2020. Lilly spent her two years as a FoodCorps member helping build capacity and advocacy for implementing garden and outdoor learning based education into the curriculum. In July of 2022, Lilly was hired as a full-time staff member for Cultivating Community, as the Schools Program Coordinator, where she continues this important work with the Portland Public Schools. In this role Lilly is able to bring her love for food systems and outdoors education to life by providing and supporting the implementation of thoughtful and equitable garden based curriculum.
Liza Gallandt (she/her)Liza grew up in Orono, Maine where she learned the importance of local food from her parents who are both professors of sustainable agriculture. She recently graduated from Dartmouth College with a double major in History and Political Science, and brings an interest in community building and justice to food systems work. While in college Liza worked on a diversified organic farm and also at a food security organization that coordinated gleaning efforts for the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. She is excited to continue working towards a more just food system as the Local Food Coordinator for CCFSC.
Ailish Dennigan (she/her)Ailish is the Locker Project's Program Coordinator for Portland. She was previously a member of the Portland School Food Services team, working as the Cafeteria Team Lead at East End Community School. Her focus at EECSC — beyond serving breakfast and lunch each day — is to create a consistently welcoming cafeteria environment, which supports students in making healthy choices, connects them to our food system at large and improves food accessibility. Ailish studied public health and art, and brings both of these lenses to her work each day. She previously served with FoodCorps in Connecticut, where she helped pilot a Breakfast in the Classroom program, taught Cooking Matters and food system education classes, and helped manage the schools' gardens. She is excited to be a part of this collaborative approach to improving food accessibility within the Portland community.
Billie Watson (she/her)Billie is originally from Fairfield, CT and is currently the Youth Programs Coordinator at Cultivating Community. She has taught in pre-school and middle school settings, worked as a facilitator for Maine Youth Action Network, and took on various jobs at Seeds of Peace, culminating with a role in program direction and garden management. She grew up constantly watching the Food Network and thinking about the dynamics between people. This is why, today, she enjoys her work very much. She has the privilege of facilitating groups as they cook, garden, and develop leadership skills.
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Kathryn Sargent (she/her)Kathryn is executive director of the Locker Project, a Portland-based nonprofit that partners with Good Shepherd Food Bank to operate school-based food programs.
Locker Project school pantries stock healthy staples and snacks for students to take home to share with their families. The agency's fresh food program recovers thousands of pounds of produce, bread, and meat every week from local markets -- food that would otherwise go to waste -- for distribution at schools and neighboring sites across Greater Portland. During COVID, the Locker Project has doubled the quantity of food shared with the community by packing thousands of take-home bags of fresh food and staples each month for children and families across Greater Portland. Kathryn has overseen this dramatic increase in volume and has taken it in stride to further benefit the children of Cumberland County! Kathryn holds a B.A. in economics and religion from Bowdoin College, an M.A. in ethics from the University of Virginia, and a graduate certificate in applied research and evaluation methods from the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine. 
Nick Escobedo (he/him)Although born in Massachusetts, Nick is a Mainer at heart. Growing up in Biddeford, he is very familiar with Southern Maine. Nick has experience working with high school students, as he helped to organize the 2021 Maine Model United Nations Conference through his writing and through direct facilitation. After recently graduating from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Political Science and Public and Professional Writing, he hopes to put his knowledge to good use for a good cause as the Food Fuels Learning Coordinator!
Amanda Hutchins (she/her)Amanda Hutchins, MS, is the Healthy Eating Active Living Program Coordinator at the City of Portland Public Health Division. Over the years, she has been partnering with Portland Public Schools on several nutrition based initiatives. Amanda is passionate about exposing all children to healthy foods and cultivating healthy habits that last through adulthood. She is truly excited about the innovative approach Food Fuels Learning is taking to tackle food security in the community.
Zoe Grodsky (she/her)Originally from Massachusetts, Zoe moved to Portland after graduating from Middlebury College. At Middlebury, Zoe studied Sociology and Education, with a focus in social movements and environmental justice. Before joining CCFSC, Zoe worked as a Farm School Educator, teaching elementary students about regenerative agriculture and food systems. From 2021 to 2022, Zoe served as the Food Fuels Learning Coordinator VISTA, before becoming a full-time staff member at CCFSC. As the current School Food Systems Coordinator, she is excited to implement change and improve local school food systems!
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Our Graphic Designer
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Winslow RobinsonWinslow Robinson, PhD, is a behavioral designer / researcher, specializing in the science of habit formation to realize design for social good / lifestyle as medicine. In addition, he sits on the board of directors for the Cumberland County Food Security Council, and is involved in state-level advocacy through the Southern Maine chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition. With his partner, Winslow founded Riverside Farm using organic low/no-till practices with heavy emphasis on hand tools, also leveraging design thinking to improve beekeeping performance on their small apiary.
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