A Parting Message from Former Co-Executive Director, Amy Vu
Over 7 years ago, I clicked a few filters on idealist.org and the first job that appeared was at FEAST. It felt like kismet to join FEAST during its building phase. FEAST has shaped not only my career, but how I understand community care and organizational leadership. From teaching the Wellness Programs, developing the new Family Feeding and Maternal Nutrition curricula and training Health Educators, to leading the food distribution program during the pandemic and building the staffing and systems that enabled FEAST’s growth, I am grateful to have helped shape and steward FEAST’s mission in my roles as Program Director and Co-Executive Director.
At the end of Dec 2025, I will be transitioning out of my role as Co-Executive Director, Programs and Partnerships so that I can work more closely in communities in the San Francisco/Bay Area where I live now. I leave with immense pride in what we’ve built together and full confidence in our small and mighty team.
Sydney Zetune, my Co-Executive Director, will continue to lead FEAST with excellence as Executive Director. Since joining in 2023, she has strengthened FEAST’s operating systems, financial transparency, and governance. Her focus, resilience, and strategic insight have helped position the organization to steward its mission sustainably.
It has been a true privilege to be part of FEAST’s story, to witness its resilience and care in action, and to work with partners and supporters who believe so deeply in the healing powers of healthy food and human connection.
With Gratitude,
Amy Vu
Looking Ahead: A Message from FEAST's New Executive Director, Sydney Zetune
I still remember when I first read about FEAST in 2017, back when it was still known as Groceryships. I had just graduated from my MPA program in NYC and was looking for a role
that would bring me to Los Angeles. I immediately knew this was an organization doing something different—recognizing that food access alone is not a sufficient solution to the health
challenges communities face. I reached out to Sam Polk via LinkedIn to learn more, and while that meeting never happened, it felt like serendipity when I was hired as FEAST’s first Director of Operations five years later.
Joining FEAST reinforced what I felt from the beginning: this model works. Our programs address a complex problem through a simple, but comprehensive approach—combining food
access through produce distributions and grocery support, practical nutrition education, and safe, trusting spaces that support behavior change, stress management, social connection, and emotional healing. As a result, our work does more than reduce food insecurity; it builds community health. Program graduates report greater confidence, improvements in their physical and emotional wellbeing, and an increased ability to manage diet-related health conditions. In the midst of a growing health crisis, what FEAST is achieving is deeply meaningful.
Co-leading FEAST over the past two years alongside Amy has been a true privilege. Amy shaped our programs to better reflect the lived realities of the communities we serve and
modeled what it means to be truly community-led, responsive, and values-driven. Her leadership leaves a lasting legacy at FEAST, and I know she will continue to make an impact
wherever she goes.
As we move into 2026, our work feels more urgent than ever. Families are facing rising food costs, shrinking safety nets, and widening health disparities. As I step fully into the role of
Executive Director, I do so with gratitude for what has been built and a deep commitment to stewarding FEAST into its next chapter—strengthening our programs, investing in our people, and staying grounded in the community-centered approach that defines who we are.
Thank you for believing in this work and for walking alongside FEAST as we move forward.
With gratitude,
Sydney Zetune
Executive Director, FEAST
