Kim Guadagno: Fulfilling a Passion to Make a Difference

FEATURED PHOTO: Kim Guadagno | CREDIT: Tom Zapcic Photography

As the new Chief Executive Officer of Fulfill, formerly The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, she has a hands-on role helping to feed more than 136,000 of her neighbors, 50,000 of them children. Most recognize Kim as the former first Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, a position she held for eight years. Now, her life is more than her former political career. Her new job at Fulfill is FULFILLing to her, because she continues to be a servant of the people.

“Most people think I am a political animal,” said Kim with a smile. “What I am is a wife, a mother, and a dedicated public servant.”

Although her time in the political arena may have been her most public role, it is not what she feels defines her. She is a woman who adores her family and has a passion to make a difference in her community. Here is our interview with Kim Guadagno.

CM: It has been two years since your term as Lt. Governor ended. What have you been doing?

Kim Guadagno (KG): Before I was in politics, I was a lawyer for 25 years. In 2018, I had the opportunity to return to law and I joined Connell Foley, a fabulous law firm of about 150 lawyers. I am a partner there and work in commercial litigation and criminal law. The second part is my work with Fulfill, formerly The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Early in 2019, I said yes to the position of CEO of Fulfill. This is where I am Monday through Friday every week. I still have responsibilities and clients at Connell Foley, but you can find me five days a week, or more, at Fulfill.   

CM: Why Fulfill?

KG: Working with Fulfill gave me a way to give back to the community in a way I hadn’t necessarily been able to since leaving office. During my time in office, I was involved in a lot of different programs that touched on food insecurity. One story that always stood out to me was told to me by a woman I met at a pantry. She proudly told me her daughter was serving our country as a U.S. Marine. This mother, despite working two jobs, had to rely on the pantry to feed her family. This woman told me that her worst fear was that her daughter would learn she was shopping at a food pantry and be embarrassed. I saw within Fulfill an opportunity to support fifty employees and 1400 volunteers, and to feed thousands of people every year. I wanted to be a part of the fight to end hunger and give back to my neighbors.

CM: What do you do at Fulfill?

KG: As CEO, I cultivate donors to help support our mission. I look for strategic partnerships to achieve our goals. That means a lot of meetings, attending events, and making a lot of phone calls. I don’t mind asking for money, because it’s going to feed our neighbors… people who are living right where we are, people you pass on the street all the time. It’s hungry children within 5 miles of where you are. It’s hard to believe that in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, 1 out of 10 people are hungry and 50,000 of those are children. It’s easy to think that the people we are serving are not working, not trying, but that’s not true. These are people who must make a choice between keeping a roof over their heads and eating. The deeper I get into it, the more concerning it is… that people can’t afford to feed their families.

CM: What is Fulfill?

KG: We are the food bank for 289 pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and feeding programs throughout Monmouth and Ocean Counties. It is a 40,000 square foot warehouse in Neptune with three stories of food and a smaller warehouse at the B.E.A.T. Center in Toms River. We have about ten trucks that move one million pounds of food every month. The goal of Fulfill is to shorten the line. We do this not just by providing food, but by offering services, including assistance with preparing taxes, signing up for SNAP, enrolling in health care, and we even have a culinary training program.

CM: One million pounds of food is a lot, where does it all come from?

KG: The Federal Government, the State of New Jersey, some very generous retail outlets and donations, but 87% of the operation is funded by private donations. In fact, 96 cents of each dollar goes directly to the people we serve. We were just named one of Charity Navigator’s Top 10 New Jersey-based charities and earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for the tenth consecutive year. This distinction means Fulfill, a 501 (c)3 charitable organization, outperformed most charities in America in areas of efficiency, fiscal integrity, and effectiveness.

CM: What at Fulfill has brought you joy or stands out the most?

KG: Every day at Fulfill, even if it is a bad day, it is a good day. Every day there is a story, every day someone walks in and needs help. Every day someone walks in and offers to help. Just the other day someone walked in and said, ‘I don’t want anyone to know who I am, but here is twenty-five thousand dollars.’ How do you not cry when someone does that? There are heart-tugging stories. Recently, a woman walked in and said two years ago I volunteered here and now I need your help. You never know when you could be impacted. And there are fun stories. When the power outage happened last summer, the Neptune senior citizens needed to be fed. The phone rang and someone said they were out of power, could we feed 800 people the next day? I said yes, then hung up the phone and turned to the team and said – ‘We can, right?’ And thankfully, we could. As I mentioned, Fulfill has a Culinary Training Program in Toms River, so instead of what they would normally have done, they made dinner for 800 senior citizens. Those are fun fabulous stories.

CM: What are some programs at Fulfill that you are excited about or that you want others to know about?

KG: Our “Packed with Love” Backpack Program is amazing. All too many children go hungry over the weekend when there is no school breakfast or lunch. Fulfill’s “Packed with Love” Backpack Program fills that gap, providing kids with nutritious meals, drinks, and snacks so they don’t have to wait until Monday morning to satisfy their hunger. Fulfill has partnered with area schools to discreetly fill their backpacks with packages of food to take home with them to eat on Saturday and Sunday. Those children are identified by teachers, nurses, guidance counselors, and cafeteria workers in a variety of ways; some are thin, have cracked lips, race to get food on Monday morning, scoff their meals down, ask for seconds, hoard their food, show behavioral problems, have excessive absences, and have trouble concentrating. Right now, Fulfill has 30 participating schools which serve about 1000 children per week, but could add ten more schools tomorrow if there was more funding.

Even in college, kids are still hungry. We bring our mobile food pantry to local colleges, including Brookdale Community College. The pantry visits the campuses two times a month. The first time we arrived at one school, we served fresh fruit and vegetables to 100 kids in 40 minutes. It’s about going in and being a part of the community. Another great program is our Seafood Gleaning Program. We have partnered with local fishermen and vessels to reduce the waste of fresh fish that cannot be sold and give it to people who are food insecure through a process known as gleaning. In fact, it’s a “First in Nation” Volunteer Pilot Program bringing much needed protein to food bank recipients.

CM: What are some ways people can help or get involved?

KG: Everyone can help. Monetary donations are critical as we are 87% donor funded. Every dollar is worth three meals. To donate or volunteer, go to fulfillnj.org. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. We also ask the public to follow Fulfill on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram and share our posts to help raise awareness about hunger.

CM: Are there any upcoming events at Fulfill?

KG: This month we are beginning a campaign called Shine Light on Hunger. It sounds funny, but someone donated 52,000 of LED light bulbs. We will be distributing them to our neighbors. Think about it, $5.00 a box, two light bulbs. That’s five dollars that can be spent on another necessity. These little things make a big difference. We want to send the message that we do more than deliver food to pantries. We try to provide wrap-around services, so people get off the line.

CM: Of all the positions you have held throughout your career, which is your favorite?

KG: I’ve had a lot of cool jobs in my life. The Sheriff of Monmouth County; running a 650-person law enforcement agency, the jail, 911 communications, the officers who protect the judges and serve warrants. That was a pretty cool job, especially being the first woman doing it. I was the first Lt. Governor ever, man or woman; that was pretty cool, too. But Fulfill… this is completely satisfying. It’s been fabulous.

CM: Besides work, where else can you be found?

KG: I still have responsibilities and clients at Connell Foley. I can be found there and working with them, but mostly you can find me with my family, making up for lost time. When I was in office, my life was not my own. I was working seven days a week, eighteen-hour days. I didn’t realize I was gone until I came home. I was literally gone for a solid eight years. Life was not my own; it was a public fishbowl all the time. Now that we get to spend time together, I can really appreciate my family. Most nights you can find us sitting on the back porch.  We live right in Monmouth Beach, so we are on the water. We just sit together and enjoy the river, something I wasn’t able to do for ten years. We are making up for lost time.

CM: What made you decide to call Monmouth County your home?

KG: I met my husband Mike in Brooklyn, but he was Monmouth County born and raised. I was born in Iowa but moved around a lot as a child, so I didn’t get to grow up around a lot of family. When Mike and I decided to start our own family, we wanted to raise our children in his hometown of Monmouth Beach. I wanted my children to grow up in a place where everybody knew them, and they knew everybody. We found that here. I was married here, all three of my children were baptized here. They went to the schools here and now that the kids are out of the house, when they come home, they can just pick up where they left off with their friends. I love the people of Monmouth County. I have been in almost every municipality in the state and when I saw how good the people of Monmouth County are to each other, especially after Superstorm Sandy, I knew I would never leave.

CM: Tell me about your family. 

KG: My husband, Mike, was a judge of the NJ Superior Court, he and I married in 1991. Together, we have three sons, Kevin, Michael, and Anderson. Kevin is 25 and a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He just finished a tour in South Korea and is now flying the F16 on his way to flying the F35 in Utah. Michael is a Dartmouth graduate where he was on the crew team and is now working in finance in NYC. Anderson is 19, a graduate of Shore Regional High School and currently at a tech school in Bloomfield.

CM: Who are the people you spend the most time with?

KG: Besides my family, I surround myself with strong women friends. As often as we can, we get together and walk the boards. We start in Asbury and walk as far as we can, turn around and come back. It’s about eight miles. We have been doing this for the past two years, and it’s one of my favorite things to do.

CM: You are seen as a woman who gets things done and makes things happen. How else would you like people to perceive you?

KG: Happy, cheerful, hopeful, and ready for a laugh…not always in that order and it doesn’t always work out that way. That’s a question I’ve never had someone ask me.

CM: Do you have any words of wisdom, something you would like to leave our readers with?

KG: Take risks and do what you love to do. I spent a life of taking risks and created a great life by doing so. I would ask myself before making a decision, ‘would I regret it if I didn’t do it?’ If the answer was yes, I did it. I’d also say, never write in pencil. I never would have thought or would have done all that I have done. If you had told me the path I would travel, I never would have believed you. I am grateful for those who took me along with them. To steal a line from Anna Quindlen “reach as you rise”. It was done for me, and I make it a point to do it for others. As I move forward, I take someone along with me.

CM: What is next for you?

KG: My husband and I plan on traveling and enjoying our home. I want to practice a little more law. Ultimately, I want to put myself out of business. I have an obligation to try and end hunger, by doing so I will be out of a job; that is my plan.