{"id":2709,"date":"2019-12-02T10:59:14","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T15:59:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2709"},"modified":"2019-11-26T11:03:01","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T16:03:01","slug":"inspire-jennifer-covert-executive-director-of-north-area-meals-on-wheels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2709","title":{"rendered":"INSPIRE: Jennifer Covert, executive director of North Area Meals on Wheels"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018We will not let anybody go hungry\u2019<\/p>\n

BY ASHLEY M. CASEY<\/p>\n

It is said if you find a job you love, you\u2019ll never work a day in your life.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not quite the case for Jennifer Covert, executive director of North Area Meals on Wheels. She certainly loves her job, but she works hard every day managing her stable of 300 volunteers and 11 staff to feed more than 250 seniors in the northern suburbs.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot once have I woken up in the morning and thought, \u2018Ugh, I don\u2019t want to go to work today.\u2019 That doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t get stressed out,\u201d Covert said. \u201cIf there\u2019s stress at work, I leave it at work. I\u2019d rather be wicked busy and have a lot to do and feel good that I accomplished it than be bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Covert was hired in August 2016 as the part-time program director. Earlier this year, she was promoted to executive director. The position is full-time.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job just evolved into something so much bigger,\u201d she said. \u201cI just don\u2019t think anyone knew when they hired me what the job would look like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally from Liverpool, Covert now lives in Baldwinsville with her husband, Dave, and her son, Jaden, who turns 13 in December. She has two grown children, Hailey and Jacob.<\/p>\n

While her resume is a varied patchwork \u2014 she went to school to become a music teacher, sold makeup and mattresses, sang in CXtec\u2019s corporate rock band, and ran an in-home daycare \u2014 the thread that has tied Covert\u2019s career together is caring for others, whether by entertaining people through song or feeding hundreds of seniors.<\/p>\n

Covert\u2019s first foray into the nonprofit world came when the family lived in Arkansas. Jaden was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, so Covert threw herself into volunteering for the Autism Association of Northeast Arkansas. As president of AANEA, Covert presented on autism in 14 counties and several area school districts. She helped families connect with resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m passionate about it. It meant something to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m very, very proud of what I did with the Autism Association, but it was a volunteer position.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Covert family decided to move back to Central New York, and Covert applied for the job at NAMOW.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been an advocate for kids with disabilities, and I\u2019m good at it and liked it. I can be an advocate for seniors,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted this job so bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Covert knew she could be a voice for older people in need, and she said she is grateful that the NAMOW board believed in her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so supportive. They trust me,\u201d she said. \u201cI like to be creative and think of things out of the box, and no one\u2019s telling me not to. It\u2019s nice to know they appreciate me \u2014 I\u2019m lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is even more fortunate to have her staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have great employees. Every employee that works here is here because they have a passion for this place,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Maureen Tricase\/Capture Your Moments
Volunteers put together meal packages for clients at NAMOW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cNobody\u2019s here because we want to get rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the three years since she was hired, Covert has weathered Onondaga County\u2019s client funding wait list and threats to federal funding. Despite these storms, Covert has brought NAMOW into the 21st century by updating the organization\u2019s online presence, devising innovative fundraisers and hiring a case manager for self-funded clients.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my goals when I first started here was to make sure all of our clients are being cared for the same way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Clients whose meals are paid for by Onondaga County have case managers who assess their overall well-being regularly and can refer them to other services in the area. Covert began meeting with self-pay clients herself to make sure no one would fall through the cracks, and the NAMOW Board of Directors agreed to hire a part-time case manager.<\/p>\n

Covert also strives to uphold NAMOW\u2019s promise that every client will get fed, no matter the weather. She ended NAMOW\u2019s previous policy of closing when area schools called a snow day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will not let anybody go hungry. It just will not happen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Now, in advance of winter weather, NAMOW prepares hundreds of \u201cblizzard bags\u201d containing nonperishable food for the days when drivers can\u2019t make deliveries. Not every driver is comfortable braving the blizzard \u2014 Covert\u2019s oldest volunteer driver is 93 \u2014 so she has a contingent of backup volunteers who can.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to put anybody in danger, but people need to eat,\u201d Covert said.<\/p>\n

Covert\u2019s work is attracting attention at the national level. She presented on innovative fundraising and volunteer retention and appreciation at this year\u2019s Meals on Wheels Annual Conference and Expo, held in August in Dallas, Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made me happy to put little NAMOW on the map,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the conference, Covert presented on NAMOW\u2019s \u201cnon-events.\u201d The organization used to put on a gala, which required a lot of time and volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have the manpower to put on massive events,\u201d Covert said.<\/p>\n

The fall appeal exhorted donors to stay home and donate from the comfort of their couch rather than dolling themselves up for an expensive gala. It worked: donations poured in. This year\u2019s fall appeal has garnered close to $40,000. In 2018, NAMOW generated $166,432 from fundraisers, including the fall appeal, a golf tournament, annual pasta dinner, bottle drives and other donations.<\/p>\n

Covert also has worked with local Subaru dealers during the Share the Love Event. For each car purchased or leased during the event, Subaru donates $250 to a charity of the customer\u2019s choice. NAMOW was awarded $6,765.80 after the 2018-19 event.<\/p>\n

While community donors go a long way in helping NAMOW feed seniors and other vulnerable people in northern Onondaga County, the organization relies on more than 300 volunteers to make NAMOW\u2019s mission a reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeventy-five percent of my job is making sure my volunteers are happy because if it weren\u2019t for them, we wouldn\u2019t be able to do the things we do,\u201d Covert said.<\/p>\n

Each holiday season, Covert hosts a luncheon for her volunteers, featuring music and raffles. She also hosts a summer picnic, where the volunteers unwind with a water balloon toss and line up for the Skippy\u2019s Ice Cream truck. During Volunteer Appreciation Week each April, Covert prepares hot meals for the volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really about feeding people because that\u2019s what we do,\u201d Covert said. \u201cThe type of personalities that these volunteers are, they like to give. I want to show them what it feels like to have someone give back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

It can be difficult to manage \u201cpeople who don\u2019t have to be here and don\u2019t get a paycheck,\u201d Covert said, which is why she works so hard to let her volunteers know how cherished they are.<\/p>\n

That care trickles down into the meals NAMOW serves. Covert said these clients receive more than food from the organization. They also receive companionship, even if it\u2019s just a brief daily interaction with a delivery volunteer. Also, volunteers can check on residents\u2019 well-being and keep an eye out for safety hazards and needed repairs to a client\u2019s home.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have your aunts and your grandmother making food from their hearts,\u201d she said. \u201cEverybody here cares, which is awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

North Area Meals on Wheels is located at 413 Church St. in North Syracuse. To learn more about the organization or volunteer and donation opportunities, visit namow.org.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018We will not let anybody go hungry\u2019 BY ASHLEY M. CASEY It is said if you find a job you love, you\u2019ll never work a day in your life. That\u2019s not quite the case for Jennifer Covert, executive director of North Area Meals on Wheels. She certainly loves her job, but she works hard every…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2710,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,99],"tags":[712,719,157,1021,1022],"class_list":["post-2709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-causes","category-featured","tag-holiday","tag-holidays","tag-inspire","tag-jennifer-covert","tag-north-area-meals-on-wheels"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/fullsizeoutput_182a5.jpeg?fit=3894%2C6023&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2645,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2645","url_meta":{"origin":2709,"position":0},"title":"LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In November, we write about philanthropy","author":"Sarah Hall","date":"October 31, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Philanthropy in its most basic definition means \u201clove of humanity.\u201d I like to believe that people are basically good \u2014 that we all start out with the best of intentions, full of that love of humanity. 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