A Knoxville, Tennessee native, John graduated with honors from Rhodes College in 2011 with a degree in history. As a Bonner Service Scholar, he worked to address homelessness, serving as a charter member of the service organization Advocates for the Homeless, and coordinating the group for three years. John also served as a resident assistant, a student member of the Board of Trustees for the College, and a coordinator for a student operated and funded soup kitchen, one of the few in the country.
Field placement: Idaho Hunger Relief Taskforce
Boise, Idaho
John helped to facilitate the final stages of The Idaho Hunger Free Communities Initiative pilot in the community of Emmett, Idaho. He crafted an interactive toolkit in Adobe Captivate software which will allow future communities to replicate the 10 month Hunger Free Community Initiative process. He also produced the final report for the community FEAST (Food, Education, Agriculture Solutions Together), a large scale community organizing event that was held in Emmett to help determine next steps for the community to attain sustainability and food security.
Policy placement: National Homelessness Law Center
Washington, D.C.
John worked to promote the Restaurant Meals Program (RMP), a SNAP program that assists homeless, elderly, and disabled individuals. He gathered state-level data on the RMP and homelessness, and he distributed his findings to both national and local groups throughout the country. John also supported the efforts of homeless assistance providers to secure Title V and the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) properties from the U.S. Government.
Hunger Free Community Report
John created a seven module interactive replication tool to allow communities to implement The Idaho Hunger Free Communities Initiative in their local communities. Using Adobe Captivate software, the presentation walks new communities through the project from beginning to completion and lays the groundwork for The Idaho Hunger Free Communities Network.