Vice President of Programming, Kids’ Food Basket

Austin Roelofs began his career with Kids’ Food Basket in 2008, first as a college volunteer and intern, and now sitting on the leadership team. He’s overseen the expansion of Sack Supper programming from 1,400 to nearly 11,000 healthy meals served each day to West Michigan kids. Austin played a key role in expanding KFB’s reach to include Muskegon, Ottawa, and Allegan Counties. He also actively championed and contributed to Bridget Clark Whitney’s vision for community-driven farming and educational programming.

In a world where many women find themselves as an island in a boardroom of men, Austin finds himself the inverse, often being the only man in the room, and he uses that space to encourage and develop those around him. Austin isn’t one to rock the boat, but when the boat needs rocking, Austin is a tidal wave—ensuring all voices are heard while the mission of nourishing children to reach their full potential remains the number one goal.

He shares, “It’s the responsibility of men to acknowledge that privilege exists, challenge any conscious or unconscious biases they encounter, and actively work to dismantle sexism. Supporting women in the workplace should become a consistent action and a way of life, rather than an occasional or trendy goal.”