Meet Crystal Tosello: Director of Annual Campaign at Second Harvest

I’m the Director of Annual Campaign, and I’ve been with Second Harvest for a little over a year now. In my role, I’m part of our Development Department, which means I build relationships with people and organizations in the community who would benefit from partnering with Second Harvest. I work with corporations and individuals to support the mission of Second Harvest, primarily through funds, but also through other areas, too.

Before this, I worked in nonprofits for about 10 years in many different sectors including higher education, arts and culture, faith-based and human services. I live in Rancho Santa Margarita with my family, and I have a six-year-old. That’s a little bit about me!

What is the most valuable piece of advice that you’ve learned?

For me, my core value is to be a compassionate human to all people, no matter what their circumstances are.

I’ve had different people in my life who instilled that in me, and it’s just the core of who I am. Wherever I go, I try my best to carry that compassion and kindness to whoever I interact with.

What does Feeding OC mean to you?

Most people don’t realize the level of nutritional insecurity in our community. Orange County is considered an affluent area, but the cost of living is so high.

There are so many families, seniors and kids who are struggling to eat on a daily or weekly basis. So, when I think of “Feeding OC,” I think about making sure they have a foundation of nutritious food, to help improve their circumstances and eventually get to a place where they can thrive.

What do you love most about working at Second Harvest Food Bank?

Working with many different nonprofits, I’ve learned that leadership really sets the tone for the organization.

When I was interviewing here, I was really impressed with Claudia, our CEO. I asked her some hard questions about how staff are treated and how she cares about the mission. I admired how she genuinely supports the community, but also the health and mental wellness of her staff. That’s huge, and honestly something I haven’t always seen in all nonprofits.

She and the other leaders here provide an amazing culture. They are genuinely compassionate people who care about the work and about others. That’s what I love most about working here.

What does nutritional security mean to you?

For me, nutritional security means a couple of things. One thing I hear, time and time again, are the stories of families where the parents skip meals or work extra jobs just to make ends meet to feed their kids. Having nutritional security means making sure those families who are working so hard, maybe working multiple minimum wage jobs, or skipping meals so their kids can eat, have access to nutritious food.

Second, I have more food allergies than doctors know what to do with, so it’s important to me that people who can’t afford many choices have access to nutritious, healthy options.

What has been your favorite memory from working at Second Harvest Food Bank?

My favorite memory has to be our Walk to Feed OC. The amount of people there and the energy in the community was incredible.

It was such a fun event! I loved seeing everyone coming down to the finish line so happy, with our staff dancing and cheering as people came through. It was such a great event for raising awareness and getting people excited about Second Harvest’s mission.

How can the community support Second Harvest Food Bank?

If someone in the community hasn’t been to our Distribution Center before, I really think they should come take a tour. When I came for the first time, I was so blown away by how big the operation is and I got to learn the differences between a food bank and a pantry. So, I think the first step is to come and see what we do.

Once people see it, I know they’ll want to take their involvement to the next level. They can support through volunteering, donating, and attending our events.

Also, a lot of people don’t realize that nonprofits like ours don’t generate revenue from our programs. All the food we distribute is given out for free, and we run entirely on donations from the community. It really takes all of us to make this work happen.

Any message for the community as we head into the holiday giving season?

We need the community to know that the need in Orange County is rising.

Food insecurity rates recently went up from one in 10 people being food insecure to one in 9. At the same time, funding from different sources is being reduced.

As a food bank, we’re trying to serve more people with less funding, which is really challenging. To do that, we need our community’s help this holiday season to make sure our community members can put food on the table.