Volunteer Spotlight: Nancy Peper

Throughout her career at McCormick, Nancy Peper has worked in technical sales, CPD and USIG product development and culinary and, since 2006, has worked with Corporate Sensory and Consumer science where she helps bring the consumer to life for marketers and product developers. Over the course of her many roles, one thing has remained constant – she’s felt compelled to give back to her community through volunteer work.

In focusing on what she loves, food and food science, and with a passion for making the world a better place, Nancy became very involved with a local non-profit called Food for Thought. The group is dedicated to filling backpacks with food supplies weekly to pass out to underprivileged school children in Baltimore County Public Schools on Friday afternoons – ensuring they have food over the weekend. 

Food for Thought passes out these backpacks through partnerships with school guidance counselors, so students and their families remain anonymous. While she’s never seen the look of appreciation or been thanked directly by a family, Nancy and other volunteers do feel a “virtual hug” from backpack recipients when they hear stories from guidance counselors and teachers that students are more focused and have noticeable shifts in their behavior because they’re no longer coming to school hungry on Monday morning. 

Food for Thought has grown from helping five students initially to now serving more than 300 each week during the school year. Nancy, who serves on the organization’s board, was able to involve her colleagues in her work with Food for Thought through participation of the US chapter of the McCormick’s Women’s International Network (WIN). As a service project, members of WIN helped pack backpacks for donation. 

Nancy’s work with Food for Thought, and other non-profits and initiatives, helps reaffirm the personal responsibility and passion she has to give back to her community since she has been so fortunate to have the time, money and ability to donate to those in greater need.