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Paterson food pantry gets new executive director | Paterson Times

Paterson food pantry gets new executive director

Bruger-and-Dinglasan

Mark Dinglasan has been brought on as the new executive director of Paterson-based nonprofit food pantry CUMAC. Dinglasan is succeeding longtime executive director Rev. Pat Bruger who led the nonprofit since 1991. Bruger (pictured, left) retires this month.

“In meeting with Mark I have been touched by his servant heart, experience and readiness for a new adventure” Bruger said. “I along with all of the board and staff at CUMAC look forward to seeing how his vision and leadership guide the strategic goals for feeding people and changing lives for years to come.”

Before being selected by CUMAC, Dinglasan (pictured, right) worked as the executive director of CASA of Cook County, Ill. He has led fundraisers at Just The Beginning – A Pipeline Organization, a foundation started by U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Ann Claire Williams. He has led teams in the areas of youth development, program management, sales, and strategic planning.

Dinglasan has a MBA from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. In his own time, he is a marathon coach, youth mentor, and church volunteer. He also hosts segments of GMA Network’s lifestyle magazine talk show, FilAM Now. His career in the nonprofit sector started with building homes for the poor in the slums of Philippines and leading a youth program in the United States.

Dinglasan returned to New Jersey in late 2016 and began searching for opportunities with organizations that shared his values and beliefs. He is filling some big shoes. In her 26-year tenure at the helm of the nonprofit Bruger turned a small food pantry run out of a church closet into a multi-service agency that serves 3,000 people every month, handles 2 million pounds of food for a network of 50 agencies, runs a disaster relief program, has a thrift shop, runs a job training program, and a housing program for the chronically homeless.

Dinglasan was selected after months of planning and interviews, according to the group.

CUMAC (Center of United Methodist Aid to the Community) was founded by Paterson school teacher Hugh Dunlop. It now occupies a 28,000-square foot facility in downtown Paterson. The organization serves people in Paterson, Passaic County, and the northern New Jersey area.

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