Our Story: Meet the Team

About Us >
​Meet the team: Assistant to Director >     
Board of  Directors >
​Volunteers >

      Executive Director

             Michelle Rageth, Executive Director
             director@finfood.org

              Michelle has served as executive director at Friends in Need for the past 20 years. 
              She grew up  in Pasadena, California, where she attended college. She moved to
              Minnesota and has lived in Cottage Grove for the past 40 years. She manages more
              than 170 volunteers at the food shelf and is responsible for grant writing and
              fundraising, as well as day-to-day operations. 

              She is the facilitator of the South Washington County Community Partnership and
              a member of the Washington County Healthy Food Access Network. She reports to
              the Board of Directors, which is made up of members from our community who are
              passionate about our vision. She is responsible for engaging the community in our
              mission and facilitating the bridge between our donors and our clients.