By Matt Mauney | Staff Writer
Christine Miller currently is pursuing her second degree in nursing as a way to fulfill her desire to make a difference and help people.
When the opportunity came to potentially take over as the new director of the United Food Bank of Plant City, Miller jumped at the chance.
“I was at a point in my life where I decided that I wanted to make a difference every day in the task that I’m doing, and that’s why I pursued nursing,” she says. “When I explored the option of the position here at the food bank, I found it really lined up with all of the goals I was hoping to get.”
Miller took the position Aug. 2 from interim director and longtime volunteer Jim Chancey, who will take a step back to spend more time with his family. The United Food Bank of Plant City has been without a full-time director since 2011.
When presented with the opportunity, Miller discovered it included all the aspects she was seeking — helping people, being able to work with the local community and even an element of education, by teaching people about the programs that are available through the food bank.
“One of the new goals of the board is to increase the community awareness of the food bank,” she says. “That will be my main goal, as well.”
Miller hopes to get schools and local businesses involved, teaching them how they can help with the food bank’s efforts.
The food bank served about 18,000 people in 2011 and hopes to expand further its outreach in the community.
Miller said in recent years, the “face of the hungry has changed,” and the food bank wants to reach out to those who may be new to that type of assistance program.
“A lot of people don’t know we exist, because they’ve never needed it before,” she says. “That’s definitely one thing that we’ll be focusing on.”
Miller has called Plant City home for more than 10 years. Her husband, Les, is a longtime Plant City resident, and the two bought land for their home in 2000.
Miller will shadow Chancey for the first few weeks to get adjusted into the position.
“He’s done such a great job, and I just want to take as much from him as I can,” she says. “I just want to carry on the good work that he’s done, and that’s evident from walking around the facility and talking with the people here.”
Miller plans to continue pursuing her second degree at night in the licensed practical nurse program at Erwin Technical Center in Tampa. She also holds a degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts, which she earned in 1995.“>http://lining.ru/oformit-kreditnuyu-kartu-evropa-bank.php