Hailey has been a part of the Food Bank’s advocacy team since 2023. Her passion for poverty alleviation, as well as her lived experience of houselessness and food insecurity, is what brought her to where she is now. Her major in political science and minor in global poverty at UC Berkeley opened her eyes to how effective policy change can determine the outcomes of society for the better in combating poverty, leading her to advocacy.

Handing out food in the Fruitvale district of Oakland and volunteering at the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center in Berkeley showed Hailey how intersectional poverty is — leading her to be passionate about meeting people with their direct needs and listening to beneficiaries rather than making assumptions.