Karla Bauer | Second Harvest Heartland

Karla Bauer has been the Food Rescue Lead at Second Harvest Heartland since March 2023. Ms. Bauer joined SHH in 2017 as a Food Rescue Specialist. In her time on the Food Rescue Team, she has supported food shelves and retail grocery stores partnering in the program to divert safe, edible food from landfills and provide it to hungry households in need. Last year, SHH’s Food Rescue Program rescued more than 41.3 million pounds of food last year.

Prior to supporting the hunger relief network on a regional level, Ms. Bauer served as the coordinator of 360 Communities – Burnsville Food Shelf and Family Resource Center from 2014 to 2017. She was responsible for the daily operations of the food shelf, overseeing the emergency financial assistance program, supervising staff and volunteers that provided direct services, and ensuring a dignified response to all community members.

Before finding her passion for working in this field, Ms. Bauer gained 12 years of experience in the sexual and domestic violence advocacy movement. Her career brought her opportunities to advocate for victim/survivors of violence on community-based and statewide levels.