There are many places where a career in logistics can take you.
But for Ryan Brisk, Vice President of Operations and Procurement at Feeding Westchester, this work became something more than a job the moment he realized it could also be a way to support his community.
Ryan’s journey to Feeding Westchester began unexpectedly. In 2019, the private office supply company where he worked in New Jersey was absorbed by Staples almost overnight. In the process, most of the company was eliminated, including the facility where he worked.
Suddenly out of a job, Ryan began searching for a new role close to home, something that still fit his background in logistics, inventory, and distribution. When he found Feeding Westchester, he saw an opportunity to keep doing the work he knew while also being part of something bigger.
“There are plenty of different places you can go to continue your career and collect a paycheck,” Ryan said. “But I thought it was really cool that while working, you could also be a benefit to your community.”
That feeling has stayed with him ever since.
At Feeding Westchester, Ryan helps make possible the movement of food across Westchester through a broad network of community partners and programs.
But behind that work is the everyday reality of operations: early mornings, shifting priorities, unexpected challenges, and a team that shows up ready to adapt.
No two days are exactly alike. Ryan starts each day around the same time the team arrives, checking in, saying good morning, and seeing whether there are any immediate problems to solve. From there, the work moves quickly, monitoring food volume, reviewing incoming deliveries, placing orders, checking compliance, tracking budgets, and making sure the department is hitting its goals.
Even so, he says the work is not just about systems. It is about people.
One of the things Ryan is most proud of is the operations team itself. In warehouse and logistics environments, high turnover is common. At Feeding Westchester, he has seen something different: a team with deep commitment, strong relationships, and a shared dedication to the mission.
“We’re all rowing in the same direction,” Ryan said.
That commitment has helped the team navigate years of change. Not long after he joined Feeding Westchester, the pandemic reshaped the work overnight. As the public health emergency eased, inflation and economic pressure kept demand high across the county. Even in a place many people associate with affluence, hunger remains a real and ongoing challenge for many families.
In response, operations has had to keep evolving.
For Ryan, that means thinking ahead and staying flexible. It means listening to what partners and neighbors are saying and turning that feedback into action. It means investing in delivery technology so partner food pantries know when food is arriving and can prepare volunteers. It means paying attention to what foods are most needed, including fresh produce, frozen protein, dairy, and culturally relevant items like kosher and halal foods, and working to make sure those foods reach the community.
Ryan often describes operations as the arms and legs of the organization, physically moving food and resources across Westchester. But he is also quick to point out that this work is deeply collaborative. Development helps bring in the funding and donations that make the work possible. Programs shares what it is hearing from the field. People and Culture helps support and retain staff. Administrative teams make sure the organization has the structure it needs to keep going.
Together, those efforts help Feeding Westchester respond to need with care, consistency, and dignity.
And while many people may be surprised by the scale of Feeding Westchester’s work, what stays with Ryan is something much more personal.
He is a foodie. He loves to cook. Some of his favorite memories are around the dinner table with family and friends. To him, food is about more than nourishment. It is about comfort, connection, and the basic dignity everyone deserves.
“It feels like a basic human right to me,” he said.
That belief is what keeps him moving.
Because if the team can do this work well, if they can keep food moving safely, efficiently, and reliably, then more people across Westchester can experience that same sense of comfort and connection for themselves.
And for Ryan, that is more than enough reason to keep showing up every day.
