Recognizing Mrs. Christie Jordan

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CRAWFORD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Christie Jordan for her 25 years of dedicated service to the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas as Chief Executive Officer.

Since becoming CEO in 1997, Mrs. Jordan has overseen the rapid growth of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas which today distributes millions of pounds of food to over 100 partnering organizations including food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters across 12 counties serving thousands of people. In her role, Mrs. Jordan works with state and federal agencies, the Food Bank's partner organizations, local businesses, and oversees grant writing and fundraising to secure the resources the Food Bank needs each year. Additionally, through her leadership, the Food Bank continued operating and serving the community during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her biggest achievement as CEO came in 2012 when she moved the Food Bank from a 13,000-square-foot facility to a custom-designed 56,000- square-foot facility. This facility upgrade became possible after she led a fundraising effort to raise $1.6 million in matching funds to receive a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

For her work at the Food Bank, she received the 2010 Public Citizen of the Year from the Arkansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and the 2011 Nonprofit Executive of the Year in the inaugural Northeast Arkansas Business of the Year awards.

Throughout her career, Mrs. Jordan has given back to her community in other ways, including serving as a Founding Member in 2004 and currently as a Board Member for the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, serving as the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman, and serving as the Community Director for the March of Dimes from 1996 to 1997.

The City of Jonesboro and the entire Northeast Arkansas region are blessed to have Mrs. Jordan in our community, which includes the thousands of families who have been directly touched by her work. In her own words in an August 2021 interview, Mrs. Jordan said, ``I feel passionate about people investing their time and talents into the community to make it a better place.'' Over her decades-long career of investing her time and talents, Mrs. Jordan has certainly made Northeast Arkansas a better place.

With heartfelt thanks, I congratulate Mrs. Jordan on 25 years as the CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas and look forward to seeing her impact on our community for the years and decades to come.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source