By Chiara Coddington
Hassan Hooker says he’s alive today because of CFBNJ. Reflecting on his tough early years in Newark’s public housing, he said, “I was going 100 miles an hour down the wrong path, but the FoodBank saved me. On the streets, I wasn’t doing the right things.”
But everything changed for him in 1996 when his uncle and a friend got jobs at CFBNJ and brought him to meet Kathleen DiChiara.
“She told me, ‘I’m going to start you as a day laborer and see how you work out.’ By Friday, she offered me a full-time position,” he recalled. Hassan has been with CFBNJ ever since, now serving as its longest-tenured employee.
Today, Hassan serves as CFBNJ’s Assistant Director of Operations. Before he was an Assistant Director, he started out as a Warehouse Selector.
“A Warehouse Selector selects products when pantries order them,” he explained. “I stayed at that job for three years before I was moved up to the front dock in the receiving area, where I was responsible for bringing all the products into the building. Now as Assistant Director, I do a lot of troubleshooting, as well. Anywhere or any time someone gets caught up in something, they’ll contact me for help or to learn how to navigate it.”
He says that even though his work is constant and busy, he loves what he does, and he remembers CFBNJ founder Kathleen DiChiara as not only a very vocal person but also very hands-on.
“I remember when there were a couple of new guys,” he recalled. “They had dumped a bunch of new produce, thinking it was broken. Kathleen and a couple of people then began to dig in and peel back the first layer of vegetables. They found that a lot of what was underneath was new, and those new guys probably didn’t know.”
Hassan’s favorite thing about Kathleen was how she knew every staff member by name.
“Even on your first day at the FoodBank,” he said, “Kathleen would immediately know your name and be side-by-side with you. Kathleen did not just care about you, she also cared about your family.”
He remembers the time after his second child was born. Kathleen gave him diapers because they were expensive. He says that Kathleen will always have a special place in his heart.
Hassan also says that his work means a lot to him: “I take my job seriously, but I also greatly appreciate what I do. I get a good feeling from helping people out, and that’s satisfying.”
Hassan’s work is especially meaningful to him because he grew up receiving food assistance from organizations like CFBNJ. Now, stable and fulfilled, he says, “That’s why I put so much effort into what I do.”