‘It matters!’ Priest believes in supporting Food Bank’s mission

December 16, 2024

Food Bank of Delaware Board Member Corie Priest’s (pictured left with Food Bank of Delaware President and CEO Cathy Kanefsky and Vice President of External Affairs Chair Robinson) connection to the Food Bank of Delaware runs deep. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s – as a youngster along with his father –he  volunteered as they collected donated food products and produce statewide to deliver back to our Newark site.  When their family needed food, some of those donations helped them as well.

“Back then, Happy Harry’s [a local retail pharmacy chain] up and down the state were drop-off sites for like 100 pounds of food,” he said. Some of that food provided nourishment for his own his own family. “We were on the struggle boat, and it was an opportunity to use food resources.”

Priest now serves as a shining example of someone who benefited from a second chance. He was incarcerated, and then faced the challenges associated with reentering society. “That process is different for everybody. But I had it easier than some. I had a plan, and I had supports, so it was pretty smooth sailing. I knew I had to change my mentality. I was determined,” he said.

“I was able to secure a job. I worked the 4-12 shift in Delaware City, but I had to get there every day, and I still didn’t have my license back. I had to figure out living arrangements in appropriate spaces. I had to make a concerted effort to be OK with $10 an hour and not traffic drugs. Some folks come out with mental health issues. The forces to go back to the wrong route, they are strong. It is a daunting task,” Priest said.

Before incarceration, Priest had some college credits, but the University of Delaware’s Inside/ Outside program pairing students behind bars with those attending UD served as a springboard for continuing his education. “I really enjoyed it. The ‘outside’ students were cream of the crop. The class was kind of a competition, and I encouraged my guys to be good students. I think it’s one of the best classes UD offered,” he noted.

Today, he works as the Community Engagement Program Administrator for the state Department of Justice, a newly created position that helps people tap into resources and services as they re-enter from incarceration, and that’s no small feat. He’s had experience in re-entry,  and uses that personal experience plus his education – along with professional expertise and enthusiasm – to support others as they move back into society. In addition to creating agency policy, planning, and strategy, he serves on the Food Bank of Delaware’s Workforce Development Committee.

Although Priest has been referring people to services “to enhance their lives” for more than a decade, he says he likes the challenge of learning the ropes of the Workforce Development Committee over the past two years of service. “I’d say I know 40 – 50 percent of the [Food Bank’s} front-line workers,” he noted.

So, why did  this Wilmington native commit his time and talents to the Food Bank’s board of directors?

“Because it matters. I have the ability to navigate spaces, meet people in their communities – from Laurel to Wilmington and in between,” the Wilmington native said. “I’ve talked to people in Little Creek. I see and talk to individuals about basic community needs. I see how the Food Bank has evolved over the years. The programs are innovative. They help people get their FICO scores up,  Stand By Me and The Kitchen School. They make the Food Bank a gold standard agency, addressing beyond giving food, helping with financial literacy.”

Priest is working toward implementing the Food Bank’s goals; he’s learning the intricacies and responsibilities of serving as a board member. “I’m learning more about the financials, cross training, to report out. We need to have our board have boots on the ground. My 9-to-5 requires me to be out in the community, and I’m always bringing back to the larger group. I’m out to take inventory, and I’m listening to questions so I can go back to get an answer. It’s incumbent to a board member to be the eyes and ears. Our communities – those who need resources and those who can invest – need to understand what’s happening. We are transforming many lives. You never know who needs, but the more you know about the Food Bank of Delaware, the more you would invest.”

Priest’s commitment to his family and community extends beyond the Food Bank. He’s a husband and dad to two children, and obviously a man who dedicates his time to bettering the quality of life here in Delaware. He is director of C L Priest Consulting, a firm that focuses on mass incarceration, inner-city poverty and crime, reentry, workforce development, child support, and community engagement. He also owns and operates Mobile Entertainment, a video game truck. He serves – or has served — on several civic committees, including Law Enforcement Accountability Taskforce—Community Engagement and Policing Subcommittee, Delaware Correctional Reentry Commission – Communities of Support Subcommittee, Del Shakes Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Community Wellbeing Initiative Steering Committee, Central Delaware Workforce Taskforce, and Executive Committee of Group Violence Intervention.

With degrees from Delaware Tech and Wilmington University, he’s been lauded statewide for his dedication and accomplishments.

And to bring all this full circle, Priest also was a keynote speaker at the University of Delaware Inside/Outside Class graduation, encouraging students to make a difference where it matters.