Greensboro nonprofit A Simple Gesture delivers sustainable food supply across Guilford

A Simple Gesture, founded in 2015 and based in Greensboro, operates a network across Guilford County to provide a sustainable supply of food to local food pantries, food banks, and nonprofits serving meals to the community or to clients. That steady flow of recovered and donated food aims to smooth the day-to-day work of frontline pantry staff, volunteer coordinators, and logistics teams who manage pickups, storage, and distribution.

President & COO Leslie Loyd leads the organization as it balances program growth and hands-on operations. “Leslie has dedicated her career to improving food access and building stronger, more connected communities,” the nonprofit’s biography states, pointing to Loyd’s background with global health initiatives and nonprofit strategy. Directors and program managers run distinct pieces of the operation: Maria Purcell oversees the Green Bag Program, Laura Oxner directs food recovery, Karen Brudnak‑Slate handles development and outreach with a High Point focus, Mike Ruff manages food recovery logistics, and Jean Rochel coordinates SHARE and volunteers. Operations manager Jan Swanton, who joined the organization in November 2021, brings finance and local outreach experience and has been involved with the group since its inception in 2015.

The site navigation and program naming - GREEN BAG SCHEDULE, DONATE SURPLUS FOOD, FILL THE GAP, FIND FOOD - reflect a mix of donor-facing and operational initiatives designed to keep partner pantries stocked and to reduce waste. That structure matters for workers because predictable supply reduces emergency scrambling, short staffing stress, and last-minute sourcing that can exhaust small pantry teams. Karen Brudnak‑Slate emphasizes the stakes for children and school support staff: “Kids who come to school hungry can’t learn,” and “Being able to meet the basic need of making sure children have sufficient food is the very first step in helping them succeed in life. Being a part of A Simple Gesture gives me the opportunity to directly impact, and improve, the future of children in Guilford County. There’s so much need, and so many ways to help.”

Operational transparency has practical implications for supervisors and HR managers who rely on partner organizations to plan volunteer shifts, vehicle and cold-storage scheduling, and staff allocations. The presence of a named Food Recovery Logistics Manager and a volunteer coordinator signals a degree of professionalization that can reduce burnout among unpaid volunteers and part-time workers.

Some public profiles show inconsistencies that affect workplace clarity. A Simple Gesture’s staff listings appear across platforms with slightly different title formats; one directory lists Sheri Dupuis as Operations Coordinator while another lists S. D. as National Program Coordinator, and employee-count summaries vary between a small 2-10 range and a count of 11. Those discrepancies could reflect differing snapshots of paid staff versus volunteers or recent title changes; accurate, current headcounts and formal titles matter for grant applications, payroll planning, and volunteer onboarding.

For employees, volunteers, and partner organizations, the nonprofit’s model points to a practical next step: align scheduling and storage capacity with the Green Bag and food recovery calendars to reduce waste and smooth workloads. For readers involved in operations and labor at pantries, A Simple Gesture’s approach offers a template for combining logistics roles, volunteer coordination, and development work to sustain service delivery as demand and supply fluctuate.