Welcome to our ‘Meet the Team’ series, where we’ll be introducing the Move For Hunger Staff 1 blog and 9 questions at a time. We hope you enjoy getting to know our team members as much as we enjoy working with them!
For August, we’re introducing our Director of Marketing, Adam Bianco! One of two Adams on the team, he’s been with Move For Hunger since October of 2020 and has a passion for food and making the world a better place. He’s also our in-house trivia host for our trivia events, and he recently held the second annual Wyoming Community Food Drive in his town. In the past 2 years, the event has collected more than 13,000 meals to his neighbors in need.
What do you do at Move For Hunger?
“I’m the Director of Marketing at Move For Hunger. My team updates the websites shares the amazing impact of the organization across social
Why did you join Move For Hunger?
“I joined Move For Hunger at the height of the pandemic because I wanted to do more. I wanted to be a part of the solution. For most of my career, I felt like there was something missing like I’m just coasting through life but not making the world a better place. Since joining Move For Hunger, I haven’t felt that.
I started working in restaurants at 14 and continued to work in the hospitality industry until I was 27 in one role or another, so food has always been a big part of my life. Joining an organization that helped feed people in need just felt like a natural fit for me.”
What do you like about working at Move For Hunger?
“First and foremost, I really like the people I work with. Everyone is a part of Move For Hunger because they believe in the mission, and so you get some of the most passionate and compassionate people working here.
On top of that, I really like our remote-work culture. It allows my wife and I to travel and work from basically anywhere with good wi-fi connection. We just did a 3-month road trip out west - working at AirBnB’s during the week and exploring National Parks on the weekends. It allowed us that flexibility and only having to take just a few days off.”
What’s something you’re working on right now that you’re really excited about?
“We’re working on a lot! I’m really excited about our new Corporate Volunteering web pages that will showcase all of our amazing in-person and virtual events like Truck Pulls, and ArCANtecture.
Plus, this time of year we’re also working through the details of September’s Hunger Action Month initiatives while also starting to plan for Year End Giving and GivingTuesday. It’s never too early to think about November’s GivingTuesday!”
Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?
“I’ve picked up different nuggets of wisdom from every boss and company I’ve worked for, however, some of my first leaders were the most impactful, Bob McCarthy and Mike Duganier at g3 Restaurants, where I worked for 9 years.
They taught me the value of hard work, continued innovation, and allowed me to grow as a professional. I stumbled my way into marketing because they asked if I knew anything about this Facebook thing back in 2007, and email marketing in 2012. I wasn’t familiar with either as a professional, but I told them I’d figured it out. 10 years later, here I am, still trying to figure out the next thing that comes along.
I also found that my best work experiences always put people first. Everyone brings different life experiences, brings their own creativity, has unique aspirations, and has a life outside of work that may be affecting them positively and negatively. It’s important for me to give everyone space to grow, help facilitate that when possible, and champion the things they're excited about.”
“Glad you asked. I have 6 top foods: pizza, tacos, cheese curds, dim sum, pasta, and sushi.
I love all of them, but my first love is pizza. Last year after one of our retreats, I went into NYC and did a Tour de Pizza - 12 slices of pizza in 12 hours in 12 different neighborhoods. That day I walked from the Bronx to the Battery accumulating 60,000 steps (30 miles), all for the love of pizza. And I still was a little hungry afterward.”
What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve been given?
“Don’t try to recreate a moment, create a new one.
It was a throwaway line from a fellow summer camp counselor I worked with in college, but it’s stuck with me. It reminds me of the value of living in the moment, appreciating the past but not being handcuffed by it, and being adventurous enough to try different things.”
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
“Like almost every kid, I wanted to be an astronaut, but besides that, for career day I picked a sports announcer. I wasn’t even that into sports, but I thought it would be fun. I’ve gotten into sports later in life, and I still think it would be pretty cool to be a sports announcer.”
Favorite Movie?
“I love all the Marvel movies and stuff like that, but my favorite movie might be Wedding Crashers or Gladiator. “
Make sure to tune back in monthly to meet a new staff member, and follow our social channels (we’re on all of them @moveforhunger) to stay up to date on hunger news and the impact our network is making!
