provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Rick Winningham sees a strong connection between the missions of Jerry’s Foods and Community Housing & Resources.
“At Jerry’s Foods, our motto is The Neighborhood Place,” said Rick, the local grocery store’s general manager. “We want to be that friendly neighborhood market.”
“It’s a great opportunity for us as a company to provide an essential service, offering food and necessities to people who live here or vacation here. CHR, too, provides an essential service to workers, and to us, as we try to attract the best employees,” he added.
Rick’s career path began in Indiana and followed the East Coast until it reached Sanibel Island. Six years ago, he became general manager at Jerry’s Foods, a staple on Sanibel since 1983.
He calls his time on Sanibel a “wonderful experience,” despite challenges such as the pandemic and recent hurricanes. CHR certainly helps with the challenge of finding affordable housing, allowing local businesses to recruit top talent.
Without CHR, employees may face a commute of up to two hours from the mainland — a fact that Sanibel employers are all too aware of as they struggle to attract workers.
“CHR allows the opportunity for folks to have the essentials — gainful employment, an affordable place to live, and the benefits of living on our beautiful island,” said Rick.
“I’m one of CHR’s biggest advocates! At Jerry’s, we want to be a good neighbor, and to be a good neighbor means you’re an advocate of the community as a whole,” he said.
“Food and shelter are the number-one necessities. It’s just natural for Jerry’s to support CHR any way we can,” Rick concluded.
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