[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 106 (Tuesday, June 25, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E658-E659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING JOANNA SEBELIEN FOR HER ACHIEVEMENTS WITH HARVESTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 25, 2024

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with eternal gratitude to 
celebrate the long and diverse career of Joanna Sebelien, the last 23 
years of which were devoted to service with the charitable food bank, 
Harvesters. Since 2001, Joanna has been an integral part of Harvesters' 
mission to create a healthy, thriving community where no one is hungry. 
As the non-profit's Chief Resource Officer, she has been responsible 
for its fundraising, volunteer recruitment, food acquisition, 
communications,

[[Page E659]]

and advocacy. During her long tenure, Joanna has seen Harvesters' 
recruitment of over 1 million volunteers across 2.5 million hours of 
service, fundraising of over $300 million, and acquisition of a 
whopping 1 billion pounds of food. Let us take a moment to reflect on 
Joanna's long and fruitful career and its impact on food security here 
in Missouri's 5th District and beyond.
  Although Joanna's decorated career did not begin with Harvesters, she 
has always sought to make a difference in the lives of others with her 
professional life. After graduating with honors from Boston College and 
receiving a master's from Central Michigan University, Joanna settled 
on the East Coast as an English teacher. It was in this position that 
she saw firsthand the effect that food insecurity could have on young 
people leading to misbehavior at school. This experience ignited her 
passion for fighting food insecurity so that no child would become a 
victim of it like her students did.
  Joanna settled in the Midwest and joined Harvesters, an organization 
established in 1979 that focused on cutting back food waste in Kansas 
City, in 2001. As one of the pioneering food banks in the country, 
Harvesters quickly joined Feeding America, a national organization of 
food banks. The organization has become a staple charity in Kansas City 
and beyond, serving to ensure the human right of food security for over 
forty years. From the moment she joined Harvesters, Joanna committed 
herself to its mission, exceeding expectations in every way imaginable. 
Not only did she quickly climb Harvesters' ranks to become Chief 
Resource Officer, she also involved herself with state and national 
organizations dedicated to fighting food insecurity. She has served on 
three separate advisory committees for Feeding America, the Breakfast 
in the Classroom and Hunger Leader groups for the Food Research and 
Action Center, the local and Kansas State boards of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and as 
a member of Feeding Missouri. Such an illustrious resume demonstrates 
Joanna's awe-inspiring dedication as a crusader for equality and sets 
an example for anyone with similar conviction to follow.
  Joanna's commitment to civic engagement does not end with ensuring 
food security. She also serves as a founding member of Hartsook 
Companies Kansas City Advisory Council, the Global Advisory Council, 
the American Association of Fundraising Professionals, Rotary 13, the 
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Centurions, Chamber Champions, 
and the Greater Missouri Leadership Foundation. That is just her 
current engagement, in the past, she has served on the board of Empower 
Missouri and as a member of the Non-Profit Advisory Group, Greater 
Kansas City Community Foundation, and the Heart of America Hunger 
Coalition. With her expansive involvement across the non-profit 
community, Joanna has become an unstoppable force for good in the 
Greater Kansas City area.
  What I admire most about Joanna is her resilience in the face of 
adversity. Over the course of her 23-year tenure at Harvesters, she has 
endured some of the most trying times our country has ever faced and 
has met these challenges with strength and determination. In 2008, the 
Great Recession wreaked havoc on the American economy, and the number 
of people needing food assistance from Harvesters jumped by forty 
percent. Over the next six years, Harvesters met this challenge by 
nearly doubling its food distribution. Joanna herself was a crucial 
part of this success, being named the Association of Fundraising 
Professionals Mid America Chapter's Fundraiser of the Year in 2008. 
Finally, in 2020, as the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, Harvesters saw another 
forty percent surge in need. Despite a decreasing number of food drives 
and volunteers due to safety concerns and social distancing 
regulations, the organization distributed 65.9 million pounds of food 
and fundraised $23 million, a record on both counts. As Chief Resource 
Officer during this period, Joanna was integral to this success. Once 
again, she proved her ability to face any challenge standing tall and 
handle it with the utmost skill and grace.
  Harvesters' functions according to the belief that access to 
nutritious food is a human right. From the beginning of her career as a 
teacher and through her 23 years with Harvesters, Joanna Sebelien has 
understood this to be true. Her commitment to combatting food 
insecurity in Missouri's Fifth Congressional District is an inspiration 
to us all. Mr. Speaker, please join me in celebrating Joanna's 23 years 
of service with Harvesters. On behalf of the 118th Congress, I wish her 
a retirement as fulfilling as her career.

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