Conversations with Brie Dilley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brie Dilley.

Hi Brie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I serve as the Executive Director of SECOR Cares, a nonprofit organization based in Parker that serves local residents facing food insecurity and financial challenges. Leading the organization, with its focus on restoring hope and dignity to the individuals and families we serve, has been a journey of both organizational and personal challenges and growth.

My career has always been centered around human services, community engagement, and nonprofit management. My passion for making a tangible difference in people’s lives led me to SECOR Cares shortly after moving to Colorado from Washington State in 2018. After being initially introduced to the organization through a graduate school connection, my first role involved connecting with community resources and working directly with the people SECOR serves to ensure a holistic approach to support.

In 2019, I temporarily left SECOR to deepen my understanding of nonprofit management and fundraising at another local nonprofit. This detour, coupled with a brief return to Seattle in 2021 to address a family situation, enriched my perspective and confirmed my passion for systemic change.

Late in 2022, amidst a leadership transition and the lingering challenges of the post-COVID landscape, I returned to SECOR to lead fundraising efforts and support the interim Executive Director. In September 2023, I stepped into the role of Executive Director, renewing my commitment to the organization’s mission while facing a complex landscape of rising local poverty and decreasing federal support for nonprofits.

SECOR (Southeast Community Outreach) began as a grassroots initiative in Parker by a few individuals from Southeast Christian Church, responding to the immediate needs of their community around Christmastime. Recognizing that the hardships faced by families were not confined to the holiday season, the project quickly evolved into a year-round mission. From a modest food pantry operating out of a church closet to a fully incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2006, SECOR has grown in response to the community’s needs.

Today, SECOR provides food to over 3,000 families each week, serving residents of 55 zip codes in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Elbert Counties. Our flagship program is a Free Food Market that allows families to choose the food items they prefer from a wide variety of fresh produce, meat, dairy, dry goods, and even fresh flowers.

Our Food for Thought project provides healthy meals each weekend to families who are financially struggling by packing bags for children to take home and distributing them through local public schools. Since its inception, Food for Thought has grown from serving 3 schools to 35 schools throughout the counties we serve, supporting 2,250 families weekly throughout the school year.

Thanks to the generosity of Christian Brothers Automotive, a longtime supporter of the organization, SECOR runs our Mobile Market program using a specialized truck designed to take the Free Food Market on the road. The Mobile Market specifically targets the neighborhoods and schools served during the school year with the Food for Thought program, along with serving local senior communities and several community college campuses throughout the year.

Our programs reflect my personal goals of better understanding and assisting with the specific challenges faced by those in need, removing hidden barriers, and supporting guests in reaching their goals. Through the client choice model and a continuous effort to center the needs of the people we serve in all programs, SECOR seeks to ensure that dignity and hope always remain at the forefront of our mission.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Over the past few years, SECOR has navigated increased demands for services amidst dwindling resources, due in part to the end of COVID-based federal assistance and the sharp increase in food prices and cost of living both locally and nationally. The dedication of our staff and volunteers, coupled with strong partnerships with other agencies, has been instrumental in addressing these complex facets of poverty and food insecurity.

Organizationally, our big challenges in recent history have related to infrastructure building; when every hour and every cent goes to work, you end up being a large organization with dedicated staff but without enough policies, procedures, and infrastructure to be sustainable for the long haul.

SECOR exploded with pandemic funding and increased need at that time, but now most of that funding has dried up, while the local need for assistance with food and the cost of daily living is even higher. Since 2022, we’ve seen over a 200% increase in the number of people we are serving.

That is in large part due to the economic instability and inflation that all Americans are currently dealing with, along with the refugee crisis that is happening across the Denver metro area and the end of the federal pandemic allotment for programs like SNAP that ended in February 2023.

All those combined have caused a huge increase in the number of people we are serving. That mixed with struggling to get adequate funding has made our work very difficult. It’s hard to know that we don’t have the capacity to serve everyone in our community who needs our programs, especially the hundreds of children and their families who are on the wait list for our Food for Thought program in local schools.

Last school year, we served about 1,700 kids each week, and this year we have had to cap that number at 2,250 due to a lack of additional funding. Inflation and the rising cost of food that everyone has seen while shopping for groceries recently have led to tough choices about who and how much we are able to serve. We are working on building resources in partnership with other agencies to find creative solutions to these problems and including our guests in those discussions.

SECOR has always followed the needs of the community. Our Mobile Market, Food for Thought program, and other initiatives all came about because we saw a need that was not being served. We use our network and partnerships to determine where there are holes in current services, what our next strategic initiatives will be, and how to best serve our community.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Looking forward, as SECOR continues to evolve and expand its reach, my commitment to collaboration, increased impact, and continuous improvement remains central to our work. The journey of SECOR, from a small holiday food drive to a comprehensive support system for those in need, illustrates the power of collective action.

In Denver and beyond, I hope that SECOR’s work can serve as a beacon of hope and a foundation for further growth in fighting poverty and empowering neighbors in need. Every day, our organization’s dedicated staff and volunteers demonstrate the profound impact of serving others with compassion, dedication, and a deep commitment to social justice. At its core, SECOR strives to live up to its motto: Caring People Caring for People.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Two biggest pieces of advice:

Say Yes! If someone reaches out and wants to meet with you – regardless of whether you think it will particularly help you in some way – say yes! The more you can build relationships and professional partnerships, the more it benefits you and your community in the long run.

Find a Mentor. Build relationships with mentors who have the career, management style, dedication to the community, and other attributes that you want and connect with people you look up to. A lot of people are afraid to ask others for their time, but the absolute worst thing someone you ask can say is “no.” In my experience, they almost never do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.secorcares.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secorcares/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoutheastCommunityOutreach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/secorcares/