News
ENLARGE
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Reducing the rate of hunger and its adverse ramifications for North Tahoe families; educating youth on the value of nutrition and health eating habits; advocating for low-income families and seniors who struggle with hunger-related issues.
Who wouldn't want to partake in this local initiative, let alone spearhead the organization?
For Heidi Allstead, the opportunity was a no-brainer.
On Friday, Allstead will take the reins as executive director of Project MANA, the hunger-relief organization providing outreach to Tahoe-Truckee residents. She will replace George LeBard, who has been at the forefront of the nonprofit for 13 years.
“I have some pretty big shoes to fill,” said Allstead while taking a break from her new, interim position. “I'm nervous about the new position, but I'm familiar with the work and I fully believe in the mission.”
For the past three and a half years, Allstead has been serving as grants manager for the Tahoe SAFE Alliance — a local agency combating the rate and effects of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Headquarters are located in the Donald W. Reynolds Community Non-Profit Center in Incline, the same location as Project MANA.
“The Alliance collaborates pretty heavily with Project MANA, as most of us do in the building, and having that relationship with George and other staff throughout the years is how I really became involved,” Allstead said. “Knowing how the organization is run and knowing the players involved, it was easy for me to walk in and piece it together.”
As grants manager for the Alliance, Allstead worked behind the scenes writing proposals to raise money for the nonprofit organization. It was this experience with funding and grant writing that made Allstead stand out as to Project MANA officials.
“I feel really good about Heidi taking over Project MANA,” LeBard said during his lunch break from training Allstead for her new position. “Our goal was to find somebody who could take Project MANA to the next level financially … and we felt Heidi had those skills.”
When LeBard announced his retirement last fall, 29 applicants contended for the position, but only 16 were interviewed. The committee narrowed it down to two and chose Allstead for her promise in collaborating with donors, building funding and eventually implementing a reverse fund to cushion the organization, LeBard said.
Before relocating to Incline Village in June 2008, Allstead was plugging away at an environmental science career in Marquette, Mich., where she focused on fielding community concerns related to water quality, erosion management and natural resources.
“I love how everything ties in together; for example, social services and environmental issues are all human-related and interconnected in certain ways, especially when it comes to food, water quality and natural resources,” Allstead said.
As a wife and mother, Allstead is an innate altruist. While her work at the Alliance was behind the scenes, she's determined to develop a personal rapport with her clients at Project MANA.
“I know there is a lot of desk work involved, but I also want to interface more with the clients, be a part of food distributions and do more on-the-ground fieldwork,” Allstead said. “Knowing what the clients go through and how they come out of it is pretty amazing.”
Project MANA is run like a well-oiled machine these days, but every social organization needs constant nourishment to grow and Allstead would like to focus on cultivating improved relationships with volunteers — the backbone of any nonprofit.
She also understands the importance of collaboration with other local agencies serving similar clientele.
“We're all hurting in some capacity funding-wise, but because we do serve the same people, we need to work together to make sure the client is getting what they need out of all of us and that we are able to be really efficient at providing those services,” Allstead said. “These are basic needs that everyone has a right to.”
Who wouldn't want to partake in this local initiative, let alone spearhead the organization?
For Heidi Allstead, the opportunity was a no-brainer.
On Friday, Allstead will take the reins as executive director of Project MANA, the hunger-relief organization providing outreach to Tahoe-Truckee residents. She will replace George LeBard, who has been at the forefront of the nonprofit for 13 years.
“I have some pretty big shoes to fill,” said Allstead while taking a break from her new, interim position. “I'm nervous about the new position, but I'm familiar with the work and I fully believe in the mission.”
For the past three and a half years, Allstead has been serving as grants manager for the Tahoe SAFE Alliance — a local agency combating the rate and effects of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Headquarters are located in the Donald W. Reynolds Community Non-Profit Center in Incline, the same location as Project MANA.
“The Alliance collaborates pretty heavily with Project MANA, as most of us do in the building, and having that relationship with George and other staff throughout the years is how I really became involved,” Allstead said. “Knowing how the organization is run and knowing the players involved, it was easy for me to walk in and piece it together.”
As grants manager for the Alliance, Allstead worked behind the scenes writing proposals to raise money for the nonprofit organization. It was this experience with funding and grant writing that made Allstead stand out as to Project MANA officials.
“I feel really good about Heidi taking over Project MANA,” LeBard said during his lunch break from training Allstead for her new position. “Our goal was to find somebody who could take Project MANA to the next level financially … and we felt Heidi had those skills.”
When LeBard announced his retirement last fall, 29 applicants contended for the position, but only 16 were interviewed. The committee narrowed it down to two and chose Allstead for her promise in collaborating with donors, building funding and eventually implementing a reverse fund to cushion the organization, LeBard said.
Before relocating to Incline Village in June 2008, Allstead was plugging away at an environmental science career in Marquette, Mich., where she focused on fielding community concerns related to water quality, erosion management and natural resources.
“I love how everything ties in together; for example, social services and environmental issues are all human-related and interconnected in certain ways, especially when it comes to food, water quality and natural resources,” Allstead said.
As a wife and mother, Allstead is an innate altruist. While her work at the Alliance was behind the scenes, she's determined to develop a personal rapport with her clients at Project MANA.
“I know there is a lot of desk work involved, but I also want to interface more with the clients, be a part of food distributions and do more on-the-ground fieldwork,” Allstead said. “Knowing what the clients go through and how they come out of it is pretty amazing.”
Project MANA is run like a well-oiled machine these days, but every social organization needs constant nourishment to grow and Allstead would like to focus on cultivating improved relationships with volunteers — the backbone of any nonprofit.
She also understands the importance of collaboration with other local agencies serving similar clientele.
“We're all hurting in some capacity funding-wise, but because we do serve the same people, we need to work together to make sure the client is getting what they need out of all of us and that we are able to be really efficient at providing those services,” Allstead said. “These are basic needs that everyone has a right to.”
