With a heavy heart, we at Forsyth Backpack Program say goodbye to Executive Director (ED), Daisy Rodriguez. While she is leaving, her impact and legacy with the organization will continue to influence the work done to feed our community's children and their families.

Daisy joined the Forsyth Backpack Board in the fall of 2022 and took over at the helm within months as the ED of the organization during its tenth year of operation. Given her extensive background in community development and focus on student support, Daisy was uniquely qualified to serve in this role. She is the former Director of Childhood Hunger Programs at Second Harvest Food Bank and has been advocating for children and their families throughout her time in Forsyth County.

Since her official start date of February 1st, 2022, Forsyth Backpack has grown in terms of impact but also internally - as a collective effort, she led the initiative to double the size of the organization’s board and transitioned into a highly hands-on environment for members. Growing the Board and Advisory Council, as well as adding two new schools - Special Children’s School and Petree Elementary, and having our first annual Adult Spelling Bee fundraiser in September 2024-all goals met on our 3-year strategic plan. Serving 1 Million Meals in 2023.

Daisy’s influence on Forsyth Backpack Program goes back further than her time as Executive Director or a Board Member. In what she often calls a “full circle” moment, she worked with the organization's founding members in the early 2010s to start Forsyth Backpack Program’s first backpack school. As we search for our next ED, we know we are in a great position to keep feeding those in need because of Daisy’s extensive dedication, the wealth of knowledge she has passed down, and her eternal willingness to go out into the community and form the vital partnerships we need to change things for the better across the food sphere in Forsyth County.
In her second stint of retirement, Daisy will be spending more time with her husband Dan Besse, three children, and six grandchildren. Currently on the books, is a trip with her daughter Ariana as they travel to Ohio as she competes in the Arnold Classic.