[00:00:00] Christine: Monica, welcome to the Milspouse Mastermind show. I am so excited for our conversation today. Would you just introduce yourself and tell us a little

[00:00:10] Monica: bit about you? Hi, I am just so happy to be here and I love your introduction and your peppy spirit because now I’m super stoked. I thought I was getting up earlier.

[00:00:21] So I’m Monica Bassett. I’m the CEO and founder of Stronghold Food Pantry and I am a military spouse and mom of two. Love it.

[00:00:30] Christine: Okay. So one of the places I love to start is going back to your military spouse origin story and what that was like, what expectations you had going in, and what that journey has been like.

[00:00:46] Monica: So I am what the cool kids like to call a late career military spouse I did not know that term until I was on a podcast gosh early last year And they’re like, oh you were a late career military spouse and by that I mean my husband was already several years into his military career. I was very much in corporate America.

[00:01:09] I had things aligned for myself. I owned a home. I was very independent. And then I fell in love with a man in a uniform, right? So my journey was slightly different in the aspect of then I had to deal with all of that being stripped away and learning a new way of life. And that was a big adjustment period for me, not having that individuality anymore.

[00:01:37] I was no longer Monica. I was now. you know, the sponsor spouse, the dependent. And that was very difficult. It was very difficult for me to get past several nuances in the military life rollercoaster. But it was about two years in that my husband finally paused and said, I need to stop feeling guilty.

[00:02:03] For taking you away from a thriving career, your friends, your community. And I pause and reflected on that. And I realized that every time I threw a dig because I was slightly resentful at my career was gone. My everything had changed. That I was hurting him with those digs and he deserved more. He deserved better than that.

[00:02:26] And it was about two years in, we were in Germany when I said, okay, you’re right. I will not bring it up again. You know, we have to make, I have to make the best of the situation that I’m in and the life that it is as a military spouse. And then I had to figure out internally how I was going to navigate that new path for myself and how I was going to shift the narrative.

[00:02:49] And that’s when I really started digging deep into building community and building friendships and supporting other military spouses. The only way I knew how which was having camaraderie and cooking for everyone and having everyone come over and being that supportive person. So that was my military spouse journey in a nutshell.

[00:03:12] Christine: I can relate so much because my husband had already been in when we met and I already had my career, I had my friends, I had already, established myself in a place that I loved and When we moved for the first time and all of that was stripped away, I was like, who am I? What, do I even do with myself?

[00:03:36] Because at the time we had moved somewhere where you had to be bilingual to get a job, and I was like, I, I, I don’t know what to do with this. And so I know the struggle. That can be, and I know that so many of us. have had a similar struggle of being taken away from everything that we’re used to .

[00:03:52] And so, I would love for you to talk just a little bit about process of, okay, I realize something needs to change because this isn’t helping our relationship as a couple, this isn’t helping me thrive as a human being. So, what were some of the things specifically that you did to try to change that narrative?

[00:04:16] Monica: Yes, you completely nailed it there. It was, you lose your identity and in that process you’re so upset about that and so resentful that it does affect the marriage, like you were saying, and it does affect our mental health as military spouses as well. It was just, once it was brought to light, I knew I had to get myself out of that pattern.

[00:04:39] And I really just, I think I looked inward and figured out, okay, well, What’s going to make me happy right now? I’m overseas. There is zero work options. We now have a little one, and my husband is working 21 days straight because it was a NATO training center, and then he’s home for four days, and then he goes back out for 21 more days, then he’s home for four days.

[00:05:02] Like, what is going to help me get through all of that? And at that point in time, I realized that I really needed to deep dive into my new community. And so for me, it really was just shifting the mind focus to how I can help serve someone else that’s going through the same thing and through helping someone else.

[00:05:27] I started feeling better. I started filling my own cup. I started helping myself. And so that is how I started getting hiking partners together. Let’s all go hiking. All our husbands are gone. Let’s get out. Let’s travel together. Let’s all hop in a car with all these car seats and let’s go to Italy and let’s have barbecues.

[00:05:47] I mean, I learned how to grill from, from like firewood and charcoal and all these things out there because I needed to do something for the people around me, which ultimately fed me and fed my soul. And that’s really what started shifting for me. I didn’t necessarily get a brand new career or anything like that, but I started embracing my new military spouse.

[00:06:15] community. And in doing so, it really did help me shift the focus.

[00:06:22] Christine: That’s so, so good. And it goes back to everything that I talk about, about finding purpose and making a contribution. And that it’s not about doing something that just fills you up. It’s about doing something that helps. Someone else. And when we are able to do something that helps other people, that’s where we find the most Fulfillment in life and that’s really what changes our whole perspective and outlook on life So that’s so so powerful So talk about how over time you had this passion for food insecurity Where did that come from?

[00:07:05] Monica: Well, it started at Fort Riley and it was just a time of COVID and families were now in different predicaments where spouses who might have worked or not working any longer because kids were sent home and there was a lack of child care and all those obstacles were just putting up barriers for families to thrive.

[00:07:28] You know, we were just trying to get by and there was families that were finding themselves in different crisises for different situations. PCS moves that were taking a lot longer than expected and delays in compensation and there was an uptick in, I call them outcries on social media. They weren’t asking for free rides or, you know, money or, you know, I don’t know, expensive things.

[00:08:00] They weren’t asking for babysitters. They were asking for food. Does anyone have any extra food? We are one week shy of our paycheck and we have nothing right now. And I remember I was out of town when I, Finally read another story that just truly impacted me, and it made that click in me happen. I call it, I’ve always called it a gut punch.

[00:08:26] And, I remember telling my husband walking out of our, out of the room that we were in, And I said, we have to do something like as soon as we get back home, I’m figuring something out. And it was a military spouse who had PCS from the Northeast to Fort Riley, Kansas, and their stuff was still. Almost hostage, right, in Virginia because they couldn’t get enough movers, they couldn’t get enough drivers, it had been over 45 days, and they hadn’t received all their back pay, and they’ve got children, and they have used every paycheck that comes through in a very wise manner, she was very eloquent when she described everything, and it really made you understand where other families are coming from, you know.

[00:09:14] And ultimately, it led them to picking through neighbors trash cans in the middle of the night to see what they could salvage. And that was my turning point. And I, I say this often, it was my moment of taking my rose colored glasses off. Because the military community, while amazing, and I just, I, I love it.

[00:09:36] It has gotten me through so many things in life. But at the same time, We’re in bubbles. We are in bubbles. We are housed with people of the same rank of the same structure. Our kids typically go to school because of neighborhood zoning’s with that same pay grade. Our husbands make friends with like minded colleagues at work with that pay grade.

[00:09:58] So what we see is what’s around us. You know, that is who we partake with. That is our bubble. And we often don’t, unbeknownst to us, it’s nothing that we should be, you know, feel guilty about or anything like it’s just how life is. But we have not stopped to look at what’s happening on the other side of the streets, in the other neighborhoods or across the road.

[00:10:19] And that was my moment to be like, wow, it has now come out. And now I’m looking. For these interactions. I’m now looking for these keywords and, but who else needs help? And then it was just jaw dropping to see how many did. And so I just started feeding families from my garage with our own funds. And then next thing, you know, neighbors are like, I want in there shopping at Walmart, and then they bring me a few extra bags.

[00:10:48] Then I put it on social media from our family and friends that are spread out. And I started getting Amazon packages. And it really just came from a place of understanding because I have been I’m a child of a veteran who needed support from a food pantry at one time in my life. And I remember the whispers.

[00:11:14] I remember the way people talked and looked and spoke about my parents because they needed assistance and I think that turned up my passion a notch because my biggest thing is to remind my patrons that. This situation does not define them. This moment in time does not identify their trajectory for the future.

[00:11:42] This is not who they are. This is a situation. This is a moment in time. This is just. A small glimpse of what their entire life could be. And I want military children to understand that. I want military spouses to know that. I want service members to know that what they are doing is commendable. And this does not define who they are as an individual or as a parent.

[00:12:07] Because when I stop and I think about the guilt that I feel for not getting my child a chocolate bar, I cannot fathom the guilt my parents felt when they couldn’t feed us. And you have that on top of military service, on top of deployments, and TDYs, and separation from family, and that is just a tornado that’s ready to implode.

[00:12:33] And so all of that was really a driving force for me to be that person of softness. I get it. I don’t need to know what your pay grade is. I don’t need to know your story. I don’t need to know anything. You say you need help. Here you go. And so that was a big motivator for me. It was just a trigger.

[00:12:54] Honestly, I don’t even think it was a motivator. It was something that flipped on. And it all made sense, and I had to see it through. I mean,

[00:13:04] Christine: I just want to commend you because that is so powerful for you to understand. I know what this feels like. I’ve been there, and I want to see the humanity of people.

[00:13:16] And to understand that it’s not because we’re making bad choices, that people find themselves in these situations. It’s because of life, and… You, as a person, are a person and worthy of value, regardless of what your financial situation looks like. It’s interesting because, I feel like, This isn’t something that’s been talked about for so long.

[00:13:39] I was having a conversation with my dad this weekend about how 24 percent of military families struggle with food insecurity, and he was completely blown away by that number because it’s something that we just don’t

[00:13:56] Monica: think about. 100%. I always, I think about it the same way that I was telling you in the bubble.

[00:14:03] We know that we’re fine, right? Or our parents know that they’re fine and we associate with people in our like mindedness, right? In our same situations in our same neighborhoods. And for the most part, we are fine. And so we don’t stop and think about how anyone else is coping at the moment. And quite honestly, our lives in the military also are so hectic and chaotic and so encompassing, right?

[00:14:31] That they suck up everything, that we barely have time to think of anything else or how anyone else is doing it. truly something you have to be mindful of doing. And that’s why I say it’s nothing to feel guilty about. I, once I set myself in this track of identifying and, and pinpointing these things, it became easier to me because I know what I’m looking for, but I didn’t three years ago.

[00:14:58] So

[00:14:58] Christine: talk about that process of your, your handing out food from your house and how did it grow to what it is today?

[00:15:07] Monica: So I laugh because there is a couple of conversations that I remember having during that period that I, I was unaware of who was who, and I remember texting my husband saying, who is this person?

[00:15:21] And then he’s like, well, you’re in a conversation with, you know, the commander of the installation. And I was like, what am I doing? I did not set off to do that. I just, I started from the garage and family and everyone started getting involved and then I just started talking about it slowly to organizations, like who wants to help who wants in.

[00:15:47] And then I was on a news cast there for Topeka and That came out and civilians wanted to partake and civilians wanted to assist. And so it almost took off a life of its own and it was great. I volunteered for an hour at an outside shelter that also assisted military families because it started becoming more and more of my drive and my why.

[00:16:14] And honestly, what would heal me volunteering and doing this for families. started healing me as a person and That was what I needed for myself at that time when I left Fort Riley I gave that program to the spouses club there. I gave them instruction I had so much buy in which was amazing and they are still running that program with those same parameters and guidelines and now when I have extra Food and things and resources.

[00:16:45] I’m able to send them that way to that original program. I started and I moved. I PCS this past August. Well, in 2022 and within two weeks, I was approached if I wanted to replicate what I did at Fort Riley at this new installation and I didn’t realize people knew what I was doing, but it had gotten around and.

[00:17:14] I just, I used to keep my head down and just work and I never realized who was paying attention or who was not paying attention. And when I got here to Fort Leavenworth, like I said, I was approached and I had to make a quick decision and it was an easy one easy for my husband to say, go on, do your thing.

[00:17:32] And easy for me to say, okay, I’ll start this on a bigger scale. So now we have a full blown warehouse. We’re a 501c3 nonprofit and we have. Grown glow. Well, not globally yet, hopefully November 28th. But we are a national as with our ambassador program that I launched. Okay, there

[00:17:55] Christine: are so many questions that I have.

[00:17:57] I’m so excited to dig into this with you. First of all, I know that so many people have something. that is on their heart. But, what it takes to say, Hey, I’m gonna go outside of my comfort zone. I’m gonna go be on a newscast. I’m gonna go have these conversations where I may feel uncomfortable. For so many people that’s kind of what keeps them stuck So have you thought about what it was that gave you that drive that says I’m gonna go put myself out there in those Uncomfortable places.

[00:18:34] Monica: Yes, and that’s the people I help like the kids that go up to the glass door when I’m delivering food and they tear into a bag of apples, a bag of apples because they haven’t had that luxury in a couple of weeks or something. The families that have hugged and cried on my shoulder, there was one spouse that I think she just got so happy and excited.

[00:18:59] She just burst out in cartwheels. I’d never seen that before, but truly That is 100 percent my motivator for that to get out of the comfort zone because I met you at a second service pitch competition in DC. And if you recall, my hands were just clammy and shaking. And when I was done with the initial pitch in the private room, I walked out, turned the corner and started sobbing.

[00:19:28] And the reason I did that was because… I felt that I didn’t do well enough, and that meant that I wasn’t able to help 50 other military families, and that is always my my first and my foremost. That’s number one. My CFO is always preaching on. Turn in that reimbursement. We are at a decent spot in our finances where we can reimburse you.

[00:19:55] And I’m like, No, because that reimbursement of 50 means I could feed those two to three families of four. So that that is the motivator that I have when I speak on panels or I have these podcasts, which just a few seconds ago you can see me. The listeners cannot. But I was just mortified because

[00:20:16] I started getting anxious for a second there. Just speaking. It’s not It’s not my strength. You know, public speaking is not my strength. Putting myself outside of this box is not my strength, but feeling what my Patreons feel loving on my Patreons, knowing what they need for support. That is, that is what motivates me.

[00:20:39] That is what puts me out there. Whether I flounder, make a fool of myself or whether I succeed, it is because of them.

[00:20:47] Christine: You are such a prime example of having that strong of a why. That you are willing to face any obstacle because you know who you are serving and how you are helping. That it makes in their lives,, and that’s just really powerful, and I think that’s what we need more of, when you can see people that are willing to say, you know, like, this is not me, like, I, I’m not the person that wants to be speaking on stages, and yet, if it helps somebody else, I’ll do it, I’ll go there, I’ll put myself out there That’s just really powerful.

[00:21:27] So I just want to, number one, commend you for that. That’s, that’s awesome. But I would also be very curious because when we step into roles that put us out there, like speaking on stages or doing something way outside of where you feel that comfort level, What have you learned about yourself and how have you grown as a person through that?

[00:21:55] Monica: I have learned that I need to get out of my head. I have learned that, and I learned that at the pitch competition. One of the coaches said get out of your head. You know this material inside and out. You know, you are passionate, get out of your head. And so that is a big thing that I have learned, but it’s hard to do when you have always been in your own head.

[00:22:23] From childhood through adulthood, it is different to shift the focus. And so that’s one of the biggest thing that I have learned. I’ve learned that I am capable. I’m not perfect. I will never be perfect, but I’m capable. I’m capable of doing this. And, and those are big epiphanies that happen, especially when you’re coming out of being a military spouse, dependent, haven’t worked in, in one year, 10 years, however long it is.

[00:22:55] I was talking to my husband, I said, how did I lead boardrooms? Before I met you, you know, and when I met you, how was I the more successful individual in our dating relationship and now I panic or I get clammy and I don’t know what to say. And it’s a decade of just being military spouse, of just being mom, of just being the painter on the ground with the toddler.

[00:23:24] It, all of that really does take a mental and confidence and emotional toll on a military spouse because you no longer feel like you have a voice, an identity, and definitely not a profession. So I’ve just learned that I am capable and that I need to get out of my own head.

[00:23:46] Christine: I just want you to say that over and over again because that, that’s exactly why I started this podcast, because so many of us as military spouses have put those dreams, those passions, those goals our career on that back burner and

[00:24:03] whether we like it or not, when we are just doing the things that need to get done, and we’re not living into who we were created to be, and when we’re not exercising those skills, we start to have all of these limiting beliefs about ourselves and what we’re capable of. And, and as much work as I’ve done to myself, I still find myself with these beliefs and knowing , When did you start believing this about yourself?

[00:24:34] And, , how are you letting this hold you back from what’s next for you? So, I know that whether we realize it or not, many of us as military spouses deal with these thoughts, these beliefs in some capacity. So, thank you so much for calling that out because it’s It’s so real and it’s okay because it’s just a part of our story.

[00:25:00] But what you said right there, I am capable. And that’s what I want every single listener on this podcast to walk away from today is knowing that you are capable and that you have the power. Something that the world needs and just step into that.

[00:25:21] Monica: Absolutely. I love it.

[00:25:23] Christine: Okay, so I am also very curious through your story.

[00:25:29] You were named the 2022 AFI Army Spouse of the Year, which congratulations, that is incredible. What did that do for you and What kind of doors did that open up for you? What

[00:25:45] Monica: was that like? It was a new experience. I did not know of the program before that nomination. And I was nominated by a phenomenal military spouse who also is not in that space.

[00:26:01] So she couldn’t tell me exactly what it was. She just knew of the program and wanted to nominate me. And It was, intimidating. I will be very honest. It was very intimidating. I did not know anyone in the program. I did not know a single person there. However, what it gave me is the, the doors, the doors that you’re talking about.

[00:26:25] The doors aren’t per se a, an interview somewhere, right? And in New York or whatever, the doors are every single individual in that room. The door is you, this podcast right now, this moment, what you have developed, that is a door that I’m utilizing right now to share about food insecurity and my mission and what stronghold is doing nationwide across service branches.

[00:26:53] That is the door. The door is. Brittany Bakker, you know, that is bringing discover your spark and teaching me about boundaries as I enter this different phase of life as a CEO and founder, but also a mom of two while my husband’s in Korea for, you know, however long. So the, those are the doors and that is my takeaway.

[00:27:16] That is what being named 2022. Armed forces insurance army spouse of the year gave me. I, I was able to lead a group session at town hall this past year. And when I led it, that was my biggest. My first talking point was that there are so many misconceptions of what the program is, misconceptions of what program titles give you, or bonuses that you might have versus others.

[00:27:48] And my talking point was, you know, it is an award for work that you’ve already done. It is not work for anything that you are committed to do in the future. It is for what you’ve done. You can walk away from that platform and do nothing for the rest of your life, but you earn that award from work you’ve already put into the military community.

[00:28:10] And I spoke about how everyone has equal playing grounds because I am not going on a podcast like yours, or I’m not going on the Topeka news station or Kansas city because I am a armed forces insurance, military spouse of the year winner. It is because of my work. It is because of doors that opened.

[00:28:34] I met someone who could write out press releases. And I said, would you do this for me? You know? So that was my big takeaway is that everyone in that room, anyone that goes through that program is a winner and has the same opportunities. Because to me personally, The networking is what is those doors.

[00:28:55] You know, it is not, it is not a medal. It is not being on stage. It is not the fact that I get to shake hands with an army chief of staff or anything like that. The reward, what really works is the people in that room who are tapped into different agencies, organizations, platforms, podcasts, sessions. That is your golden ticket is being able to build solid relationships with these people go through a glide path.

[00:29:29] You know, you don’t come off the bat and say, I want X from you. I just met you. No, there is a glide path of building solid relationships and forging friendships to say that in a year or eight months, Maybe I can come and ask you to do me a solid. So for me, that is what I took away from that program.

[00:29:51] That is what I continue. The golden ticket lies within the people in that room. The golden ticket is you is this podcast is anyone from any other foundation saying, Hey, I’d like to support you. Or, you know, Michelle Bowler from waiting warrior saying, I’m going to do this hat. I’m going to make this hat and all the, All the proceeds are gonna go to stronghold.

[00:30:14] That was a door. So I’m a big I’m a big proponent for saying that what AFI is a military spouse of the year program gave me is people is that is the golden ticket is everyone in that room and everyone has equal access. To people in that room. It is what, again, you make of it, right? You have to believe in yourself to approach people.

[00:30:41] And I struggle with that sometimes because it’s just overwhelming. But that, that’s, that to me is the doors that opened. And from there, things just progressed. You know, I’m a big believer in doing hard work. I’ve been working hard since I was a kid. It is because of the hard work that you reached out and said, Hey, I want to interview you, you know, it’s because of the hard work that AFI was amazing and they did give me free space, but it came after they’ve seen proven track record.

[00:31:18] Like, Oh, you already did this. You know, this is we can scale a model now. So it is who you are, the work you put in and the networking that you do within the community that can open doors for you.

[00:31:32] Christine: So good. Yeah, I was amazed when I went because I wasn’t sure what to expect this year, but it was really the relationships and to be.

[00:31:43] in a room with people who are passionate about so many different things that help military families. And when you get around that energy, and you start saying, okay, like, how can we work together? Because we are better together. And it’s amazing what comes out of those partnerships and and building.

[00:32:06] Those relationships that are not just about, having friends, but are about let’s get together and make a difference. You are a prime example of that. And I love seeing what you’ve done. And then, just taking everything from that and saying, I can use this, I’m going to capitalize on this.

[00:32:25] And, you’ve done amazing things. I mean, getting this established. As a 501c3, talk about some of the partnerships that have come out of this program in the last year.

[00:32:38] Monica: So, one of our, one of the biggest things that I’m very, proud of is being able to form a partnership that allowed Stronghold to reach military families outside of Kansas.

[00:32:53] So we help families in Alabama, in New York, in California. That partnership was with Ashley Guttermuth and with the Uncommon Grit Foundation. So it is something that I’m very proud of because of the reach we can now have. So Ashley, as Many of us know and your listeners probably know is a big advocate for military families And I always commend her because and I say this here every so often a random text that I send her is for her to remember What a solid human being she is because when someone has a platform so large She still uses it to advocate.

[00:33:36] And a lot of people, a lot of people back off from that advocating piece because they want to keep the numbers up. They want to keep the platform. They don’t want to upset anyone. So for her to have the courage, the wherewithal, the, I am a military spouse and I need to advocate for our families to say, I’m still going to use my platform though.

[00:34:00] That is what brings in my income. That is huge. That is huge for our community for someone to be able to continue to do that. And when she approached me, it was it was funny because when she approached me for help with military food insecurity, I gave her about three different other options. Not Stronghold, not me.

[00:34:20] I was like, you are big time. You should go do these other programs and partner with these people. And a month later, she came back and she said, no, I want to partner with you. And that was. I will always protect that, that relationship because that was big and that meant that she trusted me as an individual, as founder and CEO, and she trusted that our organization had a glide path for success.

[00:34:49] And with that, we launched an ambassador program and the Uncommon Grit came on. They are a foundation of Naval SEAL retired officers, or not just officers, just Naval SEALs. That have come on and created this foundation and they gave us our seed money to launch that program and That money is strictly for the ambassador program doesn’t is not utilized for anything else stronghold and with that we are able to provide Thanksgiving meals for families across the board.

[00:35:19] We’re able to provide Emergency funds there is a hurricane that came through about a month or so ago and some Air Force families We’re not able to get up off the ground after that and we were able to go feed four families out there. It’s those situations that now stronghold is capable of doing out of network applications to be able to feed families that came from this launch that came from this partnership.

[00:35:47] And aside from that partnership, another one that I absolutely love is with one local here. And that’s Operation Rapid Response Charities. And it’s a group of a veteran and family who Fundraise so that they can help organizations they deem are vital to the community and are successful. And because of them and their contribution, we were able to launch this past month, a happy bottoms program, a new program to stronghold, or we can now provide military families with free diapers.

[00:36:22] Every single month, they come in and we give them free diapers because diapers are not anything you can get through SNAP benefits or WIC or any extra provisions, and they are expensive! And necessary! Yes! And necessary! 100%! So, I’m very proud of that relationship I’ve been able to build here locally. I could go on and on about people, but if I want to think of some true programs that were launched because of partnerships, It would be those two.

[00:36:54] Christine: I’m very curious. I want to hear about your vision for the future. You have these partnerships. You said, hopefully, this is going global. Tell us a little bit about the future and what your vision is.

[00:37:11] Monica: So my vision, and we’re still a long ways in going because we are a 501c3 and because I do not, Stronghold does not require an income requirement or a pay grade restriction.

[00:37:27] We do not qualify for federal state grants because in order to qualify for those or to qualify for food bank assistance, we are required to put in income applications. Which we know our military families are not going to be able to get through. I mean, we’ve already seen that with the snap benefits and things like that.

[00:37:50] So stronghold does not require any income restrictions or pay grade limitations. And so while we know it’s a slow process, because that makes me have to be a very scrappy and resourceful CEO and founder. I have to save every single cent that I can. With that being said, my vision at the end is that stronghold or a pantry with the same mission values and vision because I’m okay with helping someone else stand up their own.

[00:38:22] I want our military families to be fed with dignity, with support and protecting their anonymity. That is my goal that all military families are treated with dignity, respect and with anonymity. While I want strongholds at branches and installations across the board. I also want to be able to get to a place where I can pay our volunteers.

[00:38:46] Our volunteers are also military spouses, and we know that 22 percent of military spouses are currently facing struggles with employment, which is a causal factor in food insecurity. So if I can pay our volunteers. and help them put food on the table, take kids to soccer camp, add more gifts under the tree, be able to enjoy a nice family dinner outside of the home, then that is success for Stronghold.

[00:39:17] And so that is my end. That’s my end mission. Aside from putting in pantries in all installations, it is to be able to pay our volunteers because I currently have some volunteers who also use the pantry and their way of giving back is to come and volunteer a day or two, you know, and what a success and a beautiful mission to be able to give back to those people and to help the entire process.

[00:39:47] Christine: That is where everybody wins. Because so many spouses have so much to contribute. And, and they are, they’re volunteering, they’re giving back. But to say, hey, I’m going to give you that monetary value, and you’re going to be able to help take care of your family because of that. When that happens.

[00:40:08] Everybody wins. 100%. I love that vision. Now I, I just have to ask, because you are also a powerhouse mama, and sometimes trying to find that work life balance as you are stepping into this new role. What has that been like for you? And, and what have you learned about trying to find that family life balance?

[00:40:33] Monica: Well, they volunteer with me a lot. We are building family values, that is for sure. , it’s hard. It’s hard. Especially when it’s the first year of you building a non profit, a for profit business, any of it. Any business, yeah. It’s hard. Yes, and especially because stronghold for the first solid. Few months of building it.

[00:41:00] It was me alone. I had a CFO, I had a COO, but they were not local, you know, because I went with people, I could trust for these positions. And I went to people who have known track records. And if that meant they were at Fort Bliss, Texas, by all means, they’re at Fort Bliss, Texas. That’s okay with me. But locally boots on the ground, it was me for a solid six months.

[00:41:23] And that was hard, but my girls went with me quite often. And I built, within the pantry, within the warehouse pantry, I built a child center. So there’s toys, there’s TV, there’s snacks, there’s, you know, water, all the things. And so that also allows for inclusivity of volunteers who do have children. They can come.

[00:41:47] We’re one of the only organizations that allows littles to come with you to come volunteer. And so it was important for me to build something that the family. Can do together and so the balance was not the best But it also allowed for those beautiful Nuggets of teaching my nine year old why people come to a food pantry than going and reading to her class, a book about visiting a food pantry.

[00:42:19] It was beautiful nuggets of my toddler wanting to make friends with various children who come through the pantry and that breaks down barriers for patriots and for volunteers. And. The management is still on my to do list for 2024 as I gain new staff and new permanent volunteers that want to make the mission grow.

[00:42:47] I’m learning to develop my, team members into the potential that I see they have so I can take something off my plate and I can shut down my phone now at 5, 6 p. m. and really not answer it because this time last year I was still making phone calls at 9 and 10 p. m. to coordinate drops and pickups and things of that nature.

[00:43:11] So time management was not necessarily the best in year one, but we made do and no one did without. So my husband who doesn’t have probably a volunteer bone in his body knew he had to get up and go, you know, and the kids enjoyed it and it fostered more relationship building from others. But I do have plans to set better boundaries in 2024.

[00:43:37] Christine: I think it does do a lot for our kids because they’re watching us and they’re learning from the example that you’re setting for them and, and it’s opening the doors for, for those conversations and for helping them understand that people outside of, you know, who your neighbors would be or who the kids at their school would be.

[00:43:59] I know it’s hard when you’re building something new and I know it’s hard to, set up those boundaries. But as long as you are keeping that goal, that end in mind and you are being present with your kids, they are learning so much from you. And I’m excited to see what they do when they grow up, when they have a mama like you.

[00:44:21] Monica: I keep telling my oldest that she, and I do believe this, she’s insanely magical, but every day I drop her off, I just ask her to please use her magic and her powers for good. Just do it for good. Cause it can be really bad if it goes the other way too. Yeah,

[00:44:36] Christine: I think we all have those moments of motherhood where we’re like, you’re going to do amazing things…if you use your powers for good.

[00:44:42] Monica: Yes.

[00:44:47] Christine: Let’s wrap this up. Let everybody know how they can connect with you. Learn more about Stronghold Food Pantry and maybe even start something at their installation.

[00:44:57] Monica: Absolutely. Thank you so much for that opportunity. So you can find us online. www.Stronghold food pantry.org. We are on facebook@strongholdfoodpantry.org and on Instagram, LinkedIn as well. That was a new one I just launched. Too much social media for me. I’m not very good at this.

[00:45:19] Christine: There are so many apps to try to stay on top of now, but I’ll have all of that linked in the show notes. So if you didn’t catch that, just go to the show notes. You’ll find all of those links. Monica, thank you so much for coming on today’s show.

[00:45:33] Monica: Thank you. I truly appreciate it and love your spirit and can’t wait to hear this.