Danielle McMahon, 31, serves as the director of food services at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix.

Officials at St. Vincent contend Danielle’s story, which is one of young leadership talent, intellect and compassion is worth telling as her efforts have resulted in St. Vincent de Paul emerging into a pillar of the Valley food bank community.

McMahon has served in the SVdP leadership position since 2017, overseeing all food assistance programming, including the nonprofit’s central kitchen, five charity dining rooms, central food bank, crisis operations for food and shelter and community partnerships for food relief.

In all, officials say, McMahon has worked more than eight years total at SVdP and within the field of food insecurity and food banking. She seeks to bring community impact by expanding access to fresh and healthy food for communities in need while raising awareness of food insecurity and available resources.

Starting as an intern in the spring of 2012, by the fall that year, McMahon was on staff supervising the Mesa Dining Room. By 2015 she oversaw all five of SVdP’s dining rooms. And by 2017 she oversaw all of food services operations with outward confidence and ease even as the youngest and one of a handful of women at the leadership table.

McMahon, not yet 30 years of age, she had tackled huge community needs. When homelessness death drastically increased, she helped open and run an overflow shelter out of SVdP’s Phoenix Dining Room.

And when families seeking asylum were dropped on Valley streets, it was McHahon that looked at SVdP’s Family Dining Room and said, “Yes, we can create a Day Relief Center in this space and still serve family meals to meet all our local need.”