{"id":53318,"date":"2026-10-15T21:14:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/53318\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T21:14:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T21:14:42","slug":"alumni-on-the-job-how-to-get-fresh-local-food-to-idaho-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/53318\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni on the job: How to get fresh, local food to Idaho homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A person could easily make the case that the Boise Farmers Market is one of the most community-forward organizations around. Shoppers know it for its vibrant mix of high-quality organic food, but just as central to its mission is making sure that good food reaches households across the economic spectrum.<\/p>\n

One of its most meaningful efforts is the Mobile Market, a partnership with City of Good, a fellow nonprofit similarly committed to equitable food access. The Mobile Market\u2019s van, covered with bright paintings of vegetables, brings organic produce directly to neighborhoods throughout the city. It works on a pay-what-you-can model. Farmers get paid regardless.<\/p>\n

These four alumni, working for the organizations, help carry this worthy mission forward.<\/p>\n

Amber Beierle<\/p>\n

Boise Farmers Market Executive Director Amber Beierle (BA, history and secondary education, 2004; MA, public\/applied history, 2007) credits Boise State with helping shape both her career path and approach to public service. \u201cWhat is your skill set, what is your passion, and how do you integrate those things?\u201d she said, reflecting on the guidance she received from mentors like Professor Emeritus Todd Shallat. \u201cBoise State was really about getting students into the community and making a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AmberAmber Beierle, photo courtesy of Amber Beierle<\/p>\n

That emphasis on hands-on learning \u2013 through internships, service learning and community partnerships \u2013 helped her move from classroom study into public history work. Beierle pointed to the importance of encouragement from faculty who helped her recognize her strengths. \u201cThose early experiences open doors and help you see what\u2019s possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While still a student at Boise State, Beierle served as the city\u2019s first historian through a city\/university partnership. Another high-profile role was historic sites administrator for the Old Idaho Penitentiary \u2013 Idaho\u2019s territorial prison that housed inmates until the 1970s. Beierle helped reimagine the site. She dramatically increased the number of visitors and added new programming, including cemetery tours. This led to a partnership with the geophysics department at Boise State that used ground-penetrating radar to locate unmarked graves.<\/p>\n

Beierle also established the Ray Knight Memorial Scholarship in honor of a longtime volunteer. What began as a fund to help rural schools afford bus transportation to the Old Idaho Penitentiary grew into a program that covers transportation costs for any Title I school visiting an Idaho State Historical Society site.<\/p>\n

Today, she brings that same expansive mindset to the Boise Farmers Market. In 2025, when sudden SNAP benefit cuts and system delays created uncertainty for families who receive aid, Beierle and her market team quickly reworked operations, distributing up to $40 in free vouchers per household to anyone showing an EBT card. With emergency support from local healthcare and food coalition partners, the market helped close the \u201cSNAP gap.\u201d It distributed more than $72,000 in assistance while paying farmers fully for their harvests.<\/p>\n

Beierle described her current work as rooted in listening. \u201cIt is no different than public history,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about bringing people into a space where we have common values, or creating that space if it doesn\u2019t exist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beierle feels a deep connection as an Idahoan. \u201cWe are a state of hardworking people. The local food system is something that can unify us at a time when we want to be good stewards of our land, support small businesses and good health. Anyone can find an entry point in those values,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Olivia Wargo<\/p>\n

Boise Farmers Market Manager Olivia Wargo is a Boise native and, like Beierle, a double Bronco (BA in global studies with an emphasis in sustainable futures, 2019; MPA with a focus in state and local government and nonprofit management, 2022). She joined the Boise Farmers Market in 2024. She manages the Saturday walk-through market and works daily to connect vendors, shoppers and community partners.<\/p>\n

Wargo\u2019s professional path has always centered on people. Before joining the market, she worked in museum education and refugee resettlement, experiences that deepened her commitment to helping people feel connected to their communities. In the past, she did communication and outreach for Treasure Valley Roller Derby. \u201cI was active in high school \u2013 Honor Society, theater, basketball. I developed a passion for community early on,\u201d she said. \u201cAs I started my career, I realized I needed to do work that felt meaningful. I work to pay my bills, of course, but I also get to do something that impacts the community I\u2019m part of. I haven\u2019t wanted to stop yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AOlivia Wargo, photo courtesy of Olivia Wargo<\/p>\n

For Wargo, the market is an embodiment of those sentiments. \u201cSo many people from different backgrounds come together around local food,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople stay for hours, chatting with vendors, seeing familiar faces, or discovering something new. It\u2019s joy and support, all in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n

She points to moments that reveal the market\u2019s deeper role in people\u2019s lives. \u201cThe market becomes a safe space,\u201d she says. \u201cYou see people going through hard things \u2013 loss, tough seasons on farms \u2013 but they still show up for each other. And then you see kids in programs like Sprouts Kids Club (a free program that educates kids about local food) trying new foods or making seed art. You think about the next generation growing up with that sense of connection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boise State, Wargo said, was central in shaping how she approaches this work. \u201cThe MPA program was especially valuable because so many of our instructors were nonprofit leaders sharing real-world experience.\u201d She credits Boise State with giving her practical skills in collaboration, fundraising, and organizational leadership. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for that education. I never planned to work with refugee programs or farming, but the knowledge I acquired there opened a lot of doors. I\u2019m excited for what\u2019s ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Drea Davis<\/p>\n

A third double Bronco, Drea Davis (BS, psychology, 2017; MPA with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management, 2019) is the City of Good director of community engagement. She grew up in the Seattle area but found both her career path and her community on Boise State\u2019s campus. As an undergraduate, she spent much of her time involved with the Dance Marathon, a student-led, philanthropic project that raises money for St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital. An internship with St. Luke\u2019s Health Foundation introduced her to donor relations and philanthropy.<\/p>\n

\"twoMark Whiteley and Drea Davis at a Mobile Market stop in Boise, photo courtesy of Drea Davis<\/p>\n

A conversation with a hospital parent set Davis on a new path. The parent encouraged her to look into a Master of Public Administration degree. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know what an MPA was,\u201d Davis said. \u201cBut I knew I loved the work I was doing, and that fundraising didn\u2019t scare me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning her bachelor\u2019s degree, Davis joined Boise State\u2019s Division of Student Affairs while completing her master\u2019s degree. She credits the MPA program with preparing her for nonprofit leadership. She appreciated that the program was not test-based, but focused on conversation and writing. This style of learning boosted her confidence as a student, she said. \u201cAs one of the younger people in the room, I learned so much from professors and classmates who had been in the workforce for years.\u201d<\/p>\n

As City of Good\u2019s director of community engagement, Davis helps cultivate the partnerships, donors, volunteers and community support behind the organization\u2019s programs. One initiative especially close to her heart involves buying surplus produce from local growers and distributing it to 30 food pantries throughout the Treasure Valley. Working with a network of volunteers, City of Good delivers the produce to communities like Marsing, Caldwell, Homedale and Parma as well as Boise, including the food pantry at Boise State. For many of the pantries, Davis said, City of Good is the sole source of fresh local produce.<\/p>\n

She is equally proud of the Mobile Market partnership with the Boise Farmers Market. During the SNAP benefits disruption in 2025, City of Good expanded the program to provide produce, bread, eggs and meat, all while sticking with the pay-what-you-choose model.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople would be waiting for us before we could even unload the van,\u201d she said. \u201cSome showed up with bags of coins because they wanted to contribute something. People were so thankful and wanted to talk. The Boise Farmers Market and City of Good helped ease a really difficult situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her work, she said, often feels more like a calling than a job. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful and lucky,\u201d she said. \u201cEveryone is trying to spread the good. You can feel that energy through every part of what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Whiteley<\/p>\n

City of Good External Communications Coordinator Mark Whiteley (BA, integrated media and strategic communications, television, broadcast, and digital media production, 2023) chose an unusual time to transfer to Boise State. After moving from Chico, California, in 2020, he spent much of his college experience navigating remote classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost classes were remote, but I had a few in person. I even had a class in ExtraMile Arena. It was a wild experience,\u201d Whiteley said.<\/p>\n

He worked full-time during college, advancing from shift lead to assistant manager at a local coffee shop while earning his degree. During his junior year, he wrote for the student newspaper, The Arbiter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was writing for the culture section,\u201d he said. \u201cI really enjoyed it. It taught me about interviewing and writing.\u201d Among the stories he remembers most were features on Boise State theater productions, where he interviewed actors and costume designers. \u201cSeeing my byline in the physical paper was very cool,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He joined City of Good in 2025. He uses his writing skills to share stories about food access and community need. During the SNAP benefit reduction in 2025, he helped share information about available resources while also encouraging community members to donate if they could. \u201cIt was heartbreaking because of the need, but also gratifying to see how people stepped up,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark Whiteley, photo courtesy of Mark Whiteley<\/p>\n

Recently, Whiteley helped pack hundreds of boxes of fresh produce destined for local food pantries. He said the food itself stood out \u2013 beautiful, fresh produce that might otherwise have gone uneaten. Knowing it would reach people who needed it instead was deeply meaningful, he said. \u201cFood access should never be an issue.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A person could easily make the case that the Boise Farmers Market is one of the most community-forward organizations around. Shoppers know it for its vibrant mix of high-quality organic food, but just as central to its mission is making sure that good food reaches households across the economic spectrum. One of its most meaningful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53319,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[23888,39605,5202,5200,5198,5201,5199],"class_list":["post-53318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-idaho","tag-college-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-graduate-college","tag-idaho","tag-idaho-dining","tag-idaho-food","tag-idaho-grocery-stores","tag-idaho-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117446997686185522","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}