06/05/2026
When Patrick Felker joined Neighbors, Inc. this spring as the Hunger Relief Program Manager, he wasn’t simply stepping into a new role. He continued a decade-long commitment to building dignity, connection, and compassion into food access work.
Patrick’s journey into hunger relief and food shelves started unexpectedly.
“A friend in college was doing an internship with local nonprofits that was one person short,” he recalled. “She said, ‘Hey, can you just do this for the summer?’ And I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll help you out!’”
What began as a favor quickly became more of a calling. After graduating with a sociology degree, Patrick found himself searching for meaningful work. He eventually landed at Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners (IOCP), where a part-time role coordinating a food shelf evolved into a multi-year career leading hunger relief operations. From there, he expanded his impact at Family Pathways before ultimately finding his way to Neighbors, Inc. In fact, Neighbors had already been on his radar for some time.
“I had a short list of metro organizations I kept checking in on,” Patrick said. “Neighbors was one of those places.”
What drew him in was the organization’s deep alignment with the values he has spent years championing: client dignity, community-centered solutions, and innovative approaches to food access.
“Being [a choice model food market] is really cool,” he explained. “The level of client dignity here is very impressive. So much of what Neighbors already did matched up with my values and what I’d learned in my career.”
For Patrick, hunger relief has never simply been about distributing food. It is about helping people feel seen.
One story from earlier in his career still stays with him today. A 97-year-old woman receiving food deliveries always requested chocolate with her order. Out of curiosity, Patrick asked her why.
“She said, ‘I might not wake up in the morning. So, every day I end my day with a little chocolate because that’s the last thing I want to do if I’m going to die,’” Patrick smiled remembering the conversation. “I made sure that woman got so much chocolate!”
Moments like these continue to fuel his passion for the work even after ten years in the field.
“It still feels good helping people,” he said. “I haven’t lost that feeling.”
That philosophy, seeing people not as statistics but as neighbors, resonates with the culture at Neighbors, Inc. Since arriving this spring, Patrick says one thing has stood out immediately, and that was connection.
“There’s really good conversational flow here,” he shared. “It feels like everyone is aware of what other programs are doing. There’s a strong connection between volunteers, staff, [guests], and leadership.”
He was especially moved by a small, but powerful, tradition within Neighbors’ Food Market in which volunteers will set aside birthday cakes for families celebrating birthdays. “That’s not a policy,” Patrick said. “That’s just volunteers and staff deciding together to make sure people feel cared for.”
As food insecurity continues to rise across Minnesota, Patrick hopes to further strengthen Neighbors’ impact by elevating client voices and expanding food accessibility throughout the community.
“The people using [our services] are the experts in using [our services],” he explained. “I want to find more ways for [guests] to have more input in our decision making.”
Patrick also sees transportation barriers as one of the growing challenges families and individuals face.
“How do we get food to people versus expecting everyone to come here?” He asked. “That’s a big focus moving forward.”
At the heart of Patrick’s work is a message he hopes anyone facing food insecurity can hear clearly. And that it's okay to ask for help. “There’s so much fear around coming in,” he said. “People wonder, ‘Do I really need this?’ But there’s so much food in our system, and food shelves are so focused on dignity now. You’re not taking someone else’s spot by asking for help.”
Outside of work, Patrick describes himself as “a big food person” who loves cooking, reading, and is getting back into running. And at the time of this publication, he will be celebrating another exciting milestone.
“If you’re reading this right now,” he joked during the interview, “I’m probably at my wedding!”
As Patrick begins this new chapter both personally and professionally, the Neighbors community is excited to welcome a leader whose compassion, humility, and people-first approach continue to shape the future of hunger relief, one connection at a time.
