Off the Road with Mark Fuller

I started as Operations Manager at Spoonfuls a little over a year ago.

Along with the whole operations team, I try to ensure that our trucks and Food Rescue Coordinators are ready to tackle our day-to-day food rescue work. We have planned routes and schedules, but always need to be prepared to pivot and adjust to the unique demands each day presents. I do my best to support everyone in that endeavor.

For me, a rewarding part of working in operations in general is solving the daily puzzle, working with pieces like time constraints and unknown inventory. Things will always pop up that challenge the flow of a day, like last minute distribution cancelations leaving us with extra food or requests for additional food that we may need to find. If we can solve those issues without our Food Rescue Coordinators being slowed down too much on the road – that’s a rewarding day for me.

The added bonus at Spoonfuls specifically is knowing that our work results in more people getting access to great, nutritional food, which makes it that much easier to come back and do it all again the next day.

Dave at Community Harvest Project in Grafton is someone I admire for the role he plays in the food justice space. He is deeply committed to providing the best quality produce to as many people as possible. He is all about promoting other organizations and partnerships and reaching as many people as possible.

I love that such a large part of Spoonful’s work is reducing waste to help the environment. If I weren’t here, I would likely be working for a company that attempts to reduce the effects of climate change with a hands-on role centered in the field.

Eating. Honestly, my answer has always been to hold on to leftovers and ensure I finished as much as I could before going shopping again. Since joining Spoonfuls, my tactics have become more sophisticated. A recent Spoonfuls’ blog highlighted how easy it is to make stock from veggie scraps, which inspired some great homemade ramen. As our office has focused on composting, I’ve started composting more effectively at home as well.

One thing that isn’t unique to me, but something fun that I love to do is travel. So far, I’ve been to 15 countries and all around the US, and am always planning the next trip.