Originally from Los Lunas, New Mexico, Daniel earned a B.A. degree in anthropology from Eastern New Mexico University and a M.A. degree in anthropology and food studies from New Mexico State University. He worked as a Child Nutrition Specialist for the New Mexico No Kid Hungry Program where he provided assistance to schools as they developed breakfast in the classroom, summer meals, and after school supper programs. Dan also volunteered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Research Program on a food mapping project in Dona Ana County to identify food deserts and resources available to low income families.
Field placement: Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Daniel worked with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Food Security Partnership (SPFSP) to improve access to SNAP in Allegheny County. He recruited health and social service agencies to modify their services to increase their SNAP outreach efforts. Daniel also worked with partner organizations on incorporating a SNAP pre-screening tool for their clients and provided training on how to use the Pennsylvania Compass system to increase access to federal child nutrition programs.
Policy placement: Share Our Strength
Washington, D.C.
Daniel worked with the Partner Impact and Advocacy team to explore health care providers’ role in ending childhood hunger. He conducted research and developed a toolkit on how hospitals can work with anti-hunger advocates to implement innovative ideas to access adequate quality and quantity of food as preventative medicine.