S1: E21 - How Compassion Can Rebuild Communities: Mike Servello’s Model for Ending Hunger with Dignity

Episode Summary

In this episode of Secrets of Social Impact Communicators, host Nate Birt speaks with Mike Servello, Founder and CEO of Compassion Coalition, Inc. Mike shares how his nonprofit has grown from a providential beginning in Utica, New York, into a model for feeding millions of people without taking on debt or relying on ongoing government funding.

You’ll hear how a donated warehouse and early support from Walmart launched an innovative system of community grocery stores that transformed entire neighborhoods once labeled as “food deserts.” Mike also unpacks why restoring dignity matters just as much as providing food, how bipartisan collaboration is possible when people unite around shared values, and why entrepreneurial approaches can radically reduce waste and increase access to nutritious food.

This wide-ranging conversation is full of inspiration and practical lessons: from working with policymakers across the aisle, to empowering neighbors to help neighbors, to envisioning what it would look like if Compassion Coalition’s model were replicated across the United States. If you’re a nonprofit leader, a social entrepreneur, or simply passionate about strengthening your community, you’ll leave this conversation inspired with both hope and actionable insights.

Topics We Cover

• The remarkable $1 warehouse story that launched Compassion Coalition

• Building grocery stores that bring dignity to people who live in food deserts

• How to sustain your nonprofit without ongoing government funding

• Whether a plan for government-run grocery stores proposed by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani would work

• Strategies for engaging policymakers across the political spectrum

• The staggering scale of food waste and how to turn it into opportunity

• How community-led solutions can restore both trust and safety

• The positive ripple effects of affordable, nutritious food on health and neighborhoods

• How the Compassion Coalition model might be applied in rural locations

Resources Mentioned

• Compassion Coalition / Bargain Grocery: distributehope.org

• Free Fundraising Confidence Cheat Sheet: email [e-mail] or grab it at the end of our YouTube webinar

• Silver Maple Strategies Website: www.silvermaplestrategies.com

Thanks as always to Lee Williams for editing and producing this episode.