Over the next several months, we will periodically share stories from Feeding America West Michigan staff about their personal experiences with food insecurity.
Longtime Logistics Manager Ryan Van Maldegen was a 16-year-old high school sophomore when he and his mother suddenly found themselves scrambling to make ends meet and figure out how to pay tuition so Ryan could remain at West Catholic High School through graduation. Until that time, Van Maldegen’s family had enjoyed a stable financial situation, he said.
Did you and your mom turn to food pantries for help?
We never turned to a food pantry, but we had a lot of debt stacking up, so we could have easily used the help.
What do you remember about the physical impact on you? What do you remember about the mental impact of food insecurity?
I remember a lot of stress. I remember my mom would bring home salads from the Wendy’s where she worked and other food they were going to throw out. We found out that you can make a lot of stuff with Wendy’s leftovers. One time she came home with a big bag of chicken nuggets and that was a big deal.
What helped you and your mom get through the situation?
A friend’s dad was the operations manager at Feeding America West Michigan, and he needed summer help and asked me if I’d like to come to work at the food bank picking orders. That’s how I got a job, before I was really looking for a job, the summer after 11th grade. That was a huge help with my living expenses and my mother’s. That job was a hand-up to help us get on our feet and navigate a challenging situation.
Then I did co-op my senior year so I could go to school part-time and work part-time (at the food bank). When I graduated from high school in 2003, John Arnold (former food bank president and CEO) hired me full-time. I have been here ever since, moving through various positions until I got to where I am currently. I’m grateful for the ways the food bank shaped my early working career and helped give me leadership training and experience with teamwork and collaboration.
Did the experience of food insecurity change you in ways that remain with you today?
I remember that kid who had to hustle and get a job to help my mom and pay my tuition so I could stay at West Catholic. It’s part of why I am always hustling now because I never want to be in that situation again.
How does your experience with food insecurity shape your work at Feeding America West Michigan?
I want to be there to help somebody through challenging times. Saying you understand challenges and living through challenges are two different things. Food insecurity is something you have to experience to understand. Because of my experience, I see what people are going through. That’s why the mobile food pantries are extremely important to me because you are helping people today. You are feeding them today. It’s not something down the road. It’s today, and it creates a turning point in their lives in the short game. It helps give people peace and can help them get their dignity back. I feel really good knowing I can help with that.
What do you want people who have never experienced food insecurity to understand?
Treat everyone with kindness. You have no idea what somebody is going through.