Share welcomed two new board directors in September: Carlos Rodriguez-Vega, independent owner/operator of Orchards Grocery Outlet, and Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez, senior project manager at Workforce Southwest Washington.
“We are honored to welcome Carlos and Nolan to Share’s board of directors,” said Amy Reynolds, executive director. “We believe their leadership skills and dedicated service will help to empower our organization as we envision a community where all people have safe and affordable housing, enough nutritious food to eat, equitable access to education, employment and health care services to enhance their quality of life and where diversity of people and ideas are respected, with equity, inclusion and dignity for all.”
Rodriguez-Vega’s career with Grocery Outlet dates to 2003 when he was the co-manager at Oregon City Grocery Outlet before moving to the Hollywood Grocery Outlet. After 12 years in management, he, along with partner Ken Cole, became an independent owner/operator of Vancouver Grocery Outlet in 2015 and then of Orchards Grocery Outlet in 2021. Rodriguez-Vega, Cole and their team have supported Share for the past eight years helping to raise more than $70,000 in financial donations and non-perishable food donations through the annual Independence from Hunger drive.
Yaws-Gonzalez has been a senior project manager at Workforce Southwest Washington since July 2022. Previous work experience includes seven years at Washington State University Vancouver as a senior manager, experiential learning and community engagement; senior manager, business growth MAP; assistance manager, Student Resource Center; and lead career counselor.
About Share
Founded in 1979, Share’s mission is: Share believes every person counts. Together we pursue a stronger community by building relationships, advocating for equitable access to housing and food stability while empowering every individual to grow and thrive.
Share operates four shelters for those experiencing homelessness, an Affordable Housing and Stability program, Lincoln Place (a 30-unit Housing First model apartment complex), a street outreach program, a Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) program, Rent Well (a tenant education program), and Hot Meals, a daily meal program (breakfast, lunch and dinner) which is free and open to the community. Share also operates a Summer Meals program that provides free meals to children 18 and under, and a Backpack program in partnership with 84 locals schools to provide weekly food bags to 650+ children and their families, as well as to distribute 25+ weekly pantry boxes and operate 16 fresh food pantries. For more information, visit sharevancouver.org or facebook.com/ShareVancouver.
