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The Alumni Spotlight is a new segment in the Farmlink newsletter! Our alumni are up to some pretty cool stuff, and we want you to know about it. Our community runs deep, and hundreds of people have worked hard to get us to where we are today. That’s why, each month we want to highlight the work of some of our past fellows and team members. Help us choose our next alum to spotlight by nominating a former Farmlinker here!
Joe Polack understands, perhaps better than most, the extraordinary impact that seemingly ordinary things can wield upon our lives — even something as humble as a single potato.
One of Joe’s most meaningful memories at Farmlink came about during cold-calling power hours — a mandatory hour of phone outreach to farmers inquiring about surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. He remembers a conversation with one farmer who had 5,000 pounds of surplus potatoes. With the help of the rest of the team, Joe was able to locate a food bank and transport those 5,000 pounds of potatoes to families in need.
“It’s easy to get lost in the numbers,” Joe said. “For example, a third of the world goes hungry every year. But it’s hard to understand that scale if you’re just seeing a number on a page.”
Farmlink helped Joe put those numbers into context. 5,000 potatoes can make up to 20,000 meals, enough to feed 700 families for a whole week,
“It just hit me, and it was probably one of the most transformative moments for me… it was reinvigorating and I was doing cold calls almost every day whenever I could squeeze them in after that.”
To Joe, that single call underscored the tangible impact Farmlink was making, one potato at a time.
Joe first joined The Farmlink Project after watching Farmlink’s segment on World News Tonight with David Muir in June 2020.
“Fighting hunger was something I was always super passionate about, and I volunteered at food banks where I could growing up,” Joe said. When he saw Farmlink on the news, he was immediately inspired by Farmlink’s “one truck at a time” mentality and was drawn to the idea of working with other like-minded young people determined to make a difference during a global crisis.
Joe dedicated his time to the fundraising team starting in September 2020 before joining People Ops, where he helped transform the fledgling committee into a cohesive team in May 2021.
Throughout his time at Farmlink, he lit up every Zoom with his contagious smile, his “hey y’alls”, and unfaltering optimism.
Joe recalls how campuses, grocery stores, and hiking trails were ghost towns in those early pandemic stay-at-home days. For Joe, giving his time, energy, and enthusiasm to Farmlink wasn’t just a volunteering opportunity — it was a community to lean on amid the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. He resonated deeply with Farmlink’s mission and dedication to not only serving others in need, but cultivating a strong community in its volunteers.
“That was all the community most of us had back then because of how vastly different the world looked,” he said.
To Joe, Farmlink represented a mission and community that became a symbol of resilience, hope, and optimism during the pandemic.
During his time at Farmlink, Joe helped organize Fundraising and People Ops events and was Managing Director of Student Special Events at his college, University of New Mexico. Post-Farmlink, Joe continued to pursue his love of event and entertainment coordination as an Events and Entertainment Assistant for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, then as a Ballpark Operations Assistant for the MLB’s Seattle Mariners. He is now about to embark on a new role as an Event Coordinator for Houston’s NRG Park, home of the Houston Texans.
In coordinating major events like MLB All-Star Week and in-game entertainment for the Jaguars, the lessons from Farmlink continue to resonate. They guide him as he orchestrates events that give indelible memories to up to 65,000 attendees, where every gesture has significance transcending mere numbers.
Joe recalls one poignant memory after a Jaguars game in December 2022, where the Jaguars won against the Cowboys in overtime after a walk-off pick six. Joe had just finished working a 14 hour day when an older gentleman and his son approached him.
“Do you have any spare gameday programs?” the father asked Joe.
“Ah I don’t think we do, I’m sorry,” Joe said.
“Is there any way you could help me get one? I would really appreciate it,” the father said.
Alright, let me just go take a look, Joe thought to himself. One of his colleagues mentioned that they had just thrown a stack of programs in the dumpster on the other side of the stadium, and without hesitation, Joe ran to the dumpsters and searched through mountains of trash to find two gameday programs to bring back.
When Joe handed the father and his son the programs, the father burst into tears.
“My son and I were estranged for 10 years,” the father said. “I can’t tell you how much this memory means to us. It has been a goal of ours to reconnect, and this game brought us back together. These programs are a memento of that.”
These are the moments that give meaning to Joe’s work. Joe continues to enrich the lives of those he touches, understanding the profound impact that even the smallest gesture can have. It's a lesson he carries with him, a philosophy that guides his life: that in understanding the potential impact of our actions, we come to realize how every simple act of kindness can resonate deeply. How a potato or a gameday program can mean the world to someone else.
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The Alumni Spotlight is a new segment in the Farmlink newsletter! Our alumni are up to some pretty cool stuff, and we want you to know about it. Our community runs deep, and hundreds of people have worked hard to get us to where we are today. That’s why, each month we want to highlight the work of some of our past fellows and team members. Help us choose our next alum to spotlight by nominating a former Farmlinker here!
Joe Polack understands, perhaps better than most, the extraordinary impact that seemingly ordinary things can wield upon our lives — even something as humble as a single potato.
One of Joe’s most meaningful memories at Farmlink came about during cold-calling power hours — a mandatory hour of phone outreach to farmers inquiring about surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. He remembers a conversation with one farmer who had 5,000 pounds of surplus potatoes. With the help of the rest of the team, Joe was able to locate a food bank and transport those 5,000 pounds of potatoes to families in need.
“It’s easy to get lost in the numbers,” Joe said. “For example, a third of the world goes hungry every year. But it’s hard to understand that scale if you’re just seeing a number on a page.”
Farmlink helped Joe put those numbers into context. 5,000 potatoes can make up to 20,000 meals, enough to feed 700 families for a whole week,
“It just hit me, and it was probably one of the most transformative moments for me… it was reinvigorating and I was doing cold calls almost every day whenever I could squeeze them in after that.”
To Joe, that single call underscored the tangible impact Farmlink was making, one potato at a time.
Joe first joined The Farmlink Project after watching Farmlink’s segment on World News Tonight with David Muir in June 2020.
“Fighting hunger was something I was always super passionate about, and I volunteered at food banks where I could growing up,” Joe said. When he saw Farmlink on the news, he was immediately inspired by Farmlink’s “one truck at a time” mentality and was drawn to the idea of working with other like-minded young people determined to make a difference during a global crisis.
Joe dedicated his time to the fundraising team starting in September 2020 before joining People Ops, where he helped transform the fledgling committee into a cohesive team in May 2021.
Throughout his time at Farmlink, he lit up every Zoom with his contagious smile, his “hey y’alls”, and unfaltering optimism.
Joe recalls how campuses, grocery stores, and hiking trails were ghost towns in those early pandemic stay-at-home days. For Joe, giving his time, energy, and enthusiasm to Farmlink wasn’t just a volunteering opportunity — it was a community to lean on amid the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. He resonated deeply with Farmlink’s mission and dedication to not only serving others in need, but cultivating a strong community in its volunteers.
“That was all the community most of us had back then because of how vastly different the world looked,” he said.
To Joe, Farmlink represented a mission and community that became a symbol of resilience, hope, and optimism during the pandemic.
During his time at Farmlink, Joe helped organize Fundraising and People Ops events and was Managing Director of Student Special Events at his college, University of New Mexico. Post-Farmlink, Joe continued to pursue his love of event and entertainment coordination as an Events and Entertainment Assistant for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, then as a Ballpark Operations Assistant for the MLB’s Seattle Mariners. He is now about to embark on a new role as an Event Coordinator for Houston’s NRG Park, home of the Houston Texans.
In coordinating major events like MLB All-Star Week and in-game entertainment for the Jaguars, the lessons from Farmlink continue to resonate. They guide him as he orchestrates events that give indelible memories to up to 65,000 attendees, where every gesture has significance transcending mere numbers.
Joe recalls one poignant memory after a Jaguars game in December 2022, where the Jaguars won against the Cowboys in overtime after a walk-off pick six. Joe had just finished working a 14 hour day when an older gentleman and his son approached him.
“Do you have any spare gameday programs?” the father asked Joe.
“Ah I don’t think we do, I’m sorry,” Joe said.
“Is there any way you could help me get one? I would really appreciate it,” the father said.
Alright, let me just go take a look, Joe thought to himself. One of his colleagues mentioned that they had just thrown a stack of programs in the dumpster on the other side of the stadium, and without hesitation, Joe ran to the dumpsters and searched through mountains of trash to find two gameday programs to bring back.
When Joe handed the father and his son the programs, the father burst into tears.
“My son and I were estranged for 10 years,” the father said. “I can’t tell you how much this memory means to us. It has been a goal of ours to reconnect, and this game brought us back together. These programs are a memento of that.”
These are the moments that give meaning to Joe’s work. Joe continues to enrich the lives of those he touches, understanding the profound impact that even the smallest gesture can have. It's a lesson he carries with him, a philosophy that guides his life: that in understanding the potential impact of our actions, we come to realize how every simple act of kindness can resonate deeply. How a potato or a gameday program can mean the world to someone else.
Joe Polack
Farmlink Alumni Spotlight
The Alumni Spotlight is a new segment in the Farmlink newsletter! Our alumni are up to some pretty cool stuff, and we want you to know about it. Our community runs deep, and hundreds of people have worked hard to get us to where we are today. That’s why, each month we want to highlight the work of some of our past fellows and team members. Help us choose our next alum to spotlight by nominating a former Farmlinker here!
Joe Polack understands, perhaps better than most, the extraordinary impact that seemingly ordinary things can wield upon our lives — even something as humble as a single potato.
One of Joe’s most meaningful memories at Farmlink came about during cold-calling power hours — a mandatory hour of phone outreach to farmers inquiring about surplus produce that would otherwise go to waste. He remembers a conversation with one farmer who had 5,000 pounds of surplus potatoes. With the help of the rest of the team, Joe was able to locate a food bank and transport those 5,000 pounds of potatoes to families in need.
“It’s easy to get lost in the numbers,” Joe said. “For example, a third of the world goes hungry every year. But it’s hard to understand that scale if you’re just seeing a number on a page.”
Farmlink helped Joe put those numbers into context. 5,000 potatoes can make up to 20,000 meals, enough to feed 700 families for a whole week,
“It just hit me, and it was probably one of the most transformative moments for me… it was reinvigorating and I was doing cold calls almost every day whenever I could squeeze them in after that.”
To Joe, that single call underscored the tangible impact Farmlink was making, one potato at a time.
Joe first joined The Farmlink Project after watching Farmlink’s segment on World News Tonight with David Muir in June 2020.
“Fighting hunger was something I was always super passionate about, and I volunteered at food banks where I could growing up,” Joe said. When he saw Farmlink on the news, he was immediately inspired by Farmlink’s “one truck at a time” mentality and was drawn to the idea of working with other like-minded young people determined to make a difference during a global crisis.
Joe dedicated his time to the fundraising team starting in September 2020 before joining People Ops, where he helped transform the fledgling committee into a cohesive team in May 2021.
Throughout his time at Farmlink, he lit up every Zoom with his contagious smile, his “hey y’alls”, and unfaltering optimism.
Joe recalls how campuses, grocery stores, and hiking trails were ghost towns in those early pandemic stay-at-home days. For Joe, giving his time, energy, and enthusiasm to Farmlink wasn’t just a volunteering opportunity — it was a community to lean on amid the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. He resonated deeply with Farmlink’s mission and dedication to not only serving others in need, but cultivating a strong community in its volunteers.
“That was all the community most of us had back then because of how vastly different the world looked,” he said.
To Joe, Farmlink represented a mission and community that became a symbol of resilience, hope, and optimism during the pandemic.
During his time at Farmlink, Joe helped organize Fundraising and People Ops events and was Managing Director of Student Special Events at his college, University of New Mexico. Post-Farmlink, Joe continued to pursue his love of event and entertainment coordination as an Events and Entertainment Assistant for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, then as a Ballpark Operations Assistant for the MLB’s Seattle Mariners. He is now about to embark on a new role as an Event Coordinator for Houston’s NRG Park, home of the Houston Texans.
In coordinating major events like MLB All-Star Week and in-game entertainment for the Jaguars, the lessons from Farmlink continue to resonate. They guide him as he orchestrates events that give indelible memories to up to 65,000 attendees, where every gesture has significance transcending mere numbers.
Joe recalls one poignant memory after a Jaguars game in December 2022, where the Jaguars won against the Cowboys in overtime after a walk-off pick six. Joe had just finished working a 14 hour day when an older gentleman and his son approached him.
“Do you have any spare gameday programs?” the father asked Joe.
“Ah I don’t think we do, I’m sorry,” Joe said.
“Is there any way you could help me get one? I would really appreciate it,” the father said.
Alright, let me just go take a look, Joe thought to himself. One of his colleagues mentioned that they had just thrown a stack of programs in the dumpster on the other side of the stadium, and without hesitation, Joe ran to the dumpsters and searched through mountains of trash to find two gameday programs to bring back.
When Joe handed the father and his son the programs, the father burst into tears.
“My son and I were estranged for 10 years,” the father said. “I can’t tell you how much this memory means to us. It has been a goal of ours to reconnect, and this game brought us back together. These programs are a memento of that.”
These are the moments that give meaning to Joe’s work. Joe continues to enrich the lives of those he touches, understanding the profound impact that even the smallest gesture can have. It's a lesson he carries with him, a philosophy that guides his life: that in understanding the potential impact of our actions, we come to realize how every simple act of kindness can resonate deeply. How a potato or a gameday program can mean the world to someone else.
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