A fond farewell to Chaim Jensen
This month, we share our deep gratitude and warm farewell to Chaim Jensen, who is stepping down from his role as Network and Partnership Manager. Chaim has been a part of T2T in multiple capacities since September 2022. Chaim stepped into a role with big responsibilities and even bigger opportunities, guiding daily route logistics and nurturing the relationships that make food rescue possible. Over the past 3+ years, he’s helped us expand our reach, smooth our operations, and deliver more good food, more efficiently, to neighbors across Johnson County.
If you worked alongside Chaim, you know that some of his most meaningful contributions came in the moments we never could have predicted, where food rescue becomes part puzzle, part sprint, and part sheer force of will.
Fantastic Food Rescues
There was the Summer of Cantaloupe, when a single week brought nearly 50,000 pounds of melons into our community. Chaim helped mobilize our response – handling on-the-ground logistics, coordinating storage, and even transporting melons across the state to ensure that every ripe melon found a home. Only a week later, he helped the team navigate a second 10,000-pound melon rescue from Buser’s Produce with the same steady, practical leadership.
Or the time a new Chipotle opened in Coralville and unexpectedly offered 1,500 pounds of freshly prepared meals during their training sessions. On short notice, Chaim mapped out twice-a-day pickups at completely off-schedule times, supported the cooling and safe storage of hot food, and made sure these highly desirable meals reached our neighbors.
When Kroul Farms called during the hottest week of the year, worried that their sweet corn was ripening too fast to sell, Chaim jumped in again. What began as a simple glean turned into an urgent Big-Truck rescue that we may have missed without his support.
Everyday Leadership
And then there were the quieter wins built on Chaim’s relationship-building superpower.
When one of our biggest grocery partners seemed primed to increase their donations significantly, it was Chaim who coordinated the operational overhaul needed to support that growth. His persistence has also regularly helped bring food donors back to consistent donations after periods of unpredictability. And in 2023, when El Azul market reached out with interest in donating, Chaim fast-tracked their onboarding so culturally specific foods could reach our partners right away. Thoughtful and always ready to roll up his sleeves, Chaim embodies adaptability, one of the most important guiding values of our operation.
Chaim also played a central role in some of our biggest internal improvements: developing and implementing a new inventory process and establishing a route restructure plan for more equitable distribution. Chaim’s support on our inventory and data systems has helped ensure more accurate, timely data, allowing staff to pull real-time insights for partner communication, donor engagement, and strategic planning.
Cranksgiving
When the community organizer for Cranksgiving food drive and bike ride had to step down, Chaim stepped up. While fundraising and community events are not a typical part of his job, this event combined his skills and interests, making him a great fit for the role. This year, he spearheaded a record-breaking event. With 160 riders – triple the number of riders last year – the event collected nearly 1700 lbs. of food for CommUnity Food Pantry and raised $4,000 for Table to Table, CommUnity, and the Iowa City Bike Library. The success of this event is a testament to Chaim’s dedication and leadership in transforming Cranksgiving into a larger-scale community fundraiser and food drive. We hope to continue the work Chaim started to keep Iowa City Cranksgiving a success.
And while Cranksgiving shines as a standout moment, it reflects what we’ve seen from Chaim throughout. He showed up fully, wherever the work needed him next. When food needed to move quickly, when donors needed someone who understood their world, or when the system itself needed strengthening, Chaim was there willing to do whatever the moment required.
Thank You
Chaim, thank you for the countless early mornings, the urgent or off-hours calls answered, the daily guidance amidst the unpredictability of food rescue, and the connections you’ve nurtured. In a few short years, you’ve helped build something that will keep feeding and sustaining our community long into the future.
