Meet Stephanie Stone, Difference Maker

As a marketing and communications professional in the Greater Hartford area for nearly 20 years, Windsor resident Stephanie Stone has made getting the word out about issues and events her business.

As one of the newest board members of Foodshare, the regional foodbank for Hartford and Tolland counties, she is engaging in projects that will allow for the use of her expertise in grassroots public relations and social media to make hunger an issue of the past.

"Stephanie is incredibly passionate about Foodshare's mission, and is interested in helping us enhance our social media outreach to promote conversation about our work," says Foodshare CEO and President Gloria McAdam.

According to Stone, there are currently 128,000 residents in our area using Foodshare, including 50,000 children. More than 12 million pounds of food are distributed to families each year. "These numbers are staggering, sobering and a call to action," she says.

As her work to help engage the 30,000 community members Foodshare hopes to motivate in its movement to end hunger kicks off, Windsor Patch spoke with Stone about the nature of her work to make our community a better place.

Windsor Patch: You are a public relations professional, and that's not always a field that's associated with making a difference. How can public relations be used to make positive changes in our community, and how do you do so?

Stephanie Stone: Public relations is all about getting the right message out to the right people. That is why I am becoming involved with Foodshare. We all know that the economy has hit this area hard, and Connecticut residents are struggling. People who used to donate to Foodshare are becoming recipients of its services, through no fault of their own. Hearing the stories, and reminding people that their neighbors, coworkers and friends may be hungry is the first step to engaging them... Reaching people, no matter how we do it, is the only way we will move toward successfully reducing the number of individuals hat need assistance.

WP: You've been elected to Foodshare's board of directors. What does that appointment mean to you?

SS: I was thrilled to be appointed to the Foodshare board. This is an exciting time to be involved... I feel like I am coming in at a time when I can really make an impression on the organization and its goals. [The organization's] "Vision 30/30" initiative is optimistic — it's goals are to:

• engage 30,000 people in a movement to end hunger
• ensure that everyone that has enough to eat by reducing the need for families to visit pantries and community kitchens
• increase the number of qualified families enrolled in school nutrition programs by 20 percent

The fact that I can be a part of something so big, with so much potential, is a huge motivator for me. I would love to see the number of people that need our services reduced significantly by the time my tenure with the Board ends.

WP: What has inspired you to get involved with combating hunger?

SS: As a mother, a daughter, a neighbor, a citizen and a human being, I see the statistics as devastating. This is not political, it it personal. I cannot imagine, as a parent, how I would feel if I had to put my child to bed hungry night after night. No one — young or old — should have to go to bed hungry in one of the wealthiest states in the the wealthiest country in the world. If the time I spend working with Foodshare can make a positive impact on their efforts to end hunger, that is something my family and I can be really proud of.

WP: How can social media be used to fight hunger?

SS: Social media is the communication tool of today. Stories that are compelling, quotes that resonate, photos that speak to people go viral, and get spread from friend to friend, community to community, and around the world. More than 10,000 tweets are sent out every minute! If you can get your message out ina format that captures the attention of bloggers, media, community activists, or even small groups of vocal people, they will move that message forward and you can reach more people than you ever thought possible.

WP: With groups like Fooshare working to provide assistance to economically-disadvantaged population, why is it important to work on a grassroots level?

SS: Grassroots is everything. I think that it was Margaret Mead who said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." People who are committed to a cause, who lead by example, change the world every single day. Family by family we can slowly reduce the need for Foodshare in our communities through education, assistance and available programs.

WP: Foodshare does great work in the community, but times are extremely hard for hard for many families. Can you briefly touch on the state of hunger in our communities?

Foodshare and their community partners are feeding more than 128,000 people in the Greater Hartford area. Since the recession began, there has been a 30 percent increase in need, and people who formerly donated have become recipients of services. Foodshare is not only feeding people, but working with volunteers to connect families with other sources of assistance to help break the cycle of poverty that they find themselves in. This is not an "inner city problem." Foodshare works with suburban partners throughout Hartford and Tolland counties. This is a pervasive, far-reaching issue that has impacted almost every neighborhood at some level.

Do you know someone who is making a difference in our community? Nominate them by sending a name and nature of the difference made by emailing Windsor Patch Editor Julian McKinley at julian.mckinley@patch.com.