Power of Partnership: Claire Babineaux-Fontenot and Standing with Communities

JCPenney has a long history of serving our communities, and in 2022, we announced a commitment to donate $500,000 to Feeding America by 2025 to help address food insecurity in communities across the U.S. in partnership with the JCPenney Communities Foundation. As we approach the first anniversary of this partnership, I’m excited to introduce Feeding America 's Claire Babineaux-Fontenot as my next guest in my Power of Partnership series.

Claire is the chief executive officer of Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs. She has served on boards such as Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, National Urban League and National Association of Black Accountants. In 2020, Claire was named among TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.

Keep reading for our conversation on Claire’s favorite JCPenney memories, where she finds inspiration and her advice to her younger self.

Marc Rosen: When we approached Feeding America last year to begin our partnership, how did you know JCPenney would be a good fit for your organization?

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot: It started with me knowing that JCPenney was the right partner for my family. I grew up going to JCPenney. Throughout the course of my childhood, especially at the beginning of the school years and for holidays, we would go into town and shop at JCPenney. It meant a lot to our family, and as I became a mom, it was important to my own family. Now I’m in an even bigger family than before, so it wasn’t a big leap that two organizations like Feeding America and JCPenney that have always focused so intently on family could build a deep and meaningful partnership – it’s what we both do.?

MR: How has our partnership impacted your organization?

CBF: JCPenney has donated 5 million meals! Their commitment to support children and families and to help build thriving communities is evident in their work with Feeding America, and we are just getting started. Our partnership and joint commitment continue to deepen over time, and with that deepened relationship will come an even deeper impact. ?

MR: Tell me about your favorite JCPenney memory.?

CBF: When I was in elementary school in the 1970s, I thought myself a fashionista before fashionista was a word! During one of our back-to-school shopping trips, my mom bought me a pair of really cool pleather go-go boots. It felt very special. I think my lifelong obsession with shoes may well have started with those go-go boots, and I am reminded of JCPenney anytime I wear boots like that.

MR: What advice would you give to those looking to make an impact through their careers in a similar way to your own path??

CBF: First, I think it’s important to acknowledge that no one’s path is intended to be the same, and there is beauty in that uniqueness. I have learned along the way that I could in fact engage in work that I connected to on multiple levels, and I certainly have found that work at Feeding America. I encourage others to think about how they might take the chance to live into their passions in the work they do as well. When I think about JCPenney - they do so much more than sell clothes. They are present in some of the most important moments in people’s lives, and that’s a way to make an impact as well.

MR: Who do you look to for inspiration or mentorship? ?

CBF: I look to people with whom I work at Feeding America, especially truck drivers and warehouse workers who have always been on the front lines. During COVID it became so clear that the work they do comes with risk, and they are willing to take on those risks in service of their communities. I find inspiration in that every day. I also find incredible inspiration from neighbors experiencing hunger. With so many barriers to overcome, they find the resolve to keep moving forward and show resiliency and innovation and tenacity. I cannot think of anything I am tasked with doing that asks more of me than is asked of people facing food insecurity every day.

MR: Now for some rapid-fire questions. Favorite thing you’ve watched, read or listened to recently? ?

CBF: Cory Matters’ story in Facing Resource Insecurity by Sunni Matters and Robby Tompkins.

MR: Your job takes you all over the country. What’s your favorite U.S. city besides where you live (Chicago)?

CBF: New Orleans, Louisiana, otherwise known as “Nawlins.”

MR: What advice would you give your younger self? ?

CBF: “All of it matters.”

You can read more about JCPenney’s commitment to Feeding America on the JCPenney Newsroom. To get involved with Feeding America, visit feedingamerica.com.