As a young person growing up in Southern California, Jackie Mow always dreamed of making National Geographic films. Her dad was the one who encouraged Jackie to challenge the status quo and gender norms of the day, which empowered her to follow that dream despite her not having many Asian women as strong role models when she was growing up.
After earning her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, Jackie launched a career in producing and directing that took her across the globe, from producing news in France to reporting for the British Broadcasting Corporation in Boston. She eventually followed her passion in science and education to her dream job at NOVA – the award-winning PBS flagship science series that is produced by WGBH in Boston.
Jackie was inspired to start volunteering with Food For Free after becoming more closely acquainted with food insecurity when she worked on an independent film, East of Salinas, ten years ago. The documentary follows a third grader named Jose Anzaldo, the son of migrant farm workers in California’s Salinas Valley, and explores the challenges that migrant children face, such as poverty, gang violence, and fear of deportation. The film reveals the harsh irony that those who work on farms are often food insecure, and highlights the obstacles that undocumented people face that limit their opportunities in life.
“Jose’s story highlights the unjust irony of life in America for undocumented farm workers and for those in the food industry – where the people who are working to supply the country with food to eat often face deep food insecurity themselves,” says Jackie. “Through my work with Jose, documenting his life story, I looked for other ways to address food insecurity in this country. When the pandemic hit, that’s when I found Food For Free.”
Jackie began volunteering with Food For Free in March 2020. She was appointed as volunteer site captain for the organization’s Cambridge Public School Meal Distribution, which was a Covid-19 emergency program that provided 70,000 breakfasts and lunches to Cambridge students following school closures during the early days of the pandemic.
Nowadays, Jackie can be found at our Somerville Packing & Distribution Center on Saturdays, when she serves as a Food For Free volunteer site captain for our Healthy Eats program, which brings boxes of protein, fresh produce, and shelf-stable grocery items to the homes of 375 low-income Cambridge seniors and people with disabilities.
This Women’s History Month, Jackie remembers the role her Aunt Shirley played in her life. A Scientist with a PHD in Chemistry who worked for the Feminist Press, Shirley was an example of a strong woman who held a non-traditional role in society. More generally, Jackie recalls a lack of awareness of role models that looked like her when she was a young girl, and is excited by the diverse cultural representation in role models for youth today.
“I am so inspired by the incredible women I’ve met throughout my career – these women were doing extraordinary work from sending a probe to an asteroid, to finding cures for undiagnosed diseases, as well as being the first Asian woman to be tenured at Harvard Law School,” said Jackie. “They showed me there is no limit to what we can do – and to always dream big.”
Jackie certainly joins the ranks of women who challenged stereotypes to become an inspiration to us all.
Thank you, Jackie, for your dedication to working alongside Food For Free in our fight against food insecurity!
