Mel Cronin (35)
Regional Expansion Program Manager, 412 Food Rescue

When Mel Cronin thinks back to her childhood, she remembers playing in a dirt pile or building forts at summer camp. Her love of the outdoors and for the environment has carried over into adulthood.

“It’s a little bit different [from] what I’m doing now, but there’s a major component to sustainability and cutting carbon emissions at 412 Food Rescue,” she says. “I think I always wanted to do something along those lines.”

Coming from a background in animal hospitals and food pantries, she joined the nonprofit in 2017 and now manages the home delivery program; it began as part of the organization’s pandemic response but continues today, with tens of thousands of meals having been delivered to more than 3,500 households in the region. As the regional expansion manager, she works with nonprofit partners in counties surrounding Allegheny, managing the growth of food recovery operations and existing nonprofit partner relationships.

“I love working with our nonprofit partners,” she says. “It’s eye-opening every single day of my job how much people and organizations are doing in our area, in our region.”