Sponsor Spotlight: Joanne Varnes with Catholic Charities – Diocese of Wilmington

Joanne has been with Catholic Charities for 25 years, but before joining the organization she operated as a family home provider under their sponsorship. When Joanne decided to open her own family home, she was introduced to the CACFP in her initial licensing meeting, where representatives from the food program were invited to share information. After hearing about the benefits of the CACFP, Joanne immediately joined and continued on the CACFP for the 11 years she ran her family home. Her participation in the CACFP also spread into her personal nutrition practices and those of her family.

 

“I really learned a lot about good nutrition and how to feed my own children. I was very passionate about that. My own children will tell you, even though they weren’t on the CACFP, that they had very healthy meals throughout their lives. I followed the plan that I learned from the CACFP with my own children, from the time they were born until now.”

 

Once her children were school-aged, Joanne decided she wanted to close her family home and work directly with the CACFP. She called Catholic Charities and asked them if they had any job openings. Joanne started as a part-time monitor and claims processor and eventually shifted into her full-time position as Program Manager.

When Joanne joined Catholic Charities, they were only sponsoring family child care homes, but in 2011 she made the decision to expand to sponsor child care centers as well. With the support of their CACFP State agency, they began slowly onboarding child care centers. Catholic Charities has continued to expand and step up when needs arise. At the end of the 2025 fiscal year, Joanne got a notification that one of the other sponsoring organizations in Delaware was not renewing their CACFP sponsorship. Knowing that family homes do not have access without a sponsor, Joanne and her team jumped into action and signed on every family home provider from the closing sponsor, ensuring that those providers didn’t lose even a month of reimbursement from the program.

Catholic Charities’ dedication to the mission and to the child care providers they sponsor is what Joanne believes makes them successful. Joanne and their team maintain constant communication with their providers and ensure that they are able to respond immediately to any questions. They also pride themselves in the level of training they offer their providers, to ensure that providers receive the highest amount of reimbursement possible each month.

 

“We have open communication with our sites. We want them to know that we are here to support them, because if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have a job. We want them to be well-trained so that they’re getting the maximum amount that they can get for reimbursement.”

 

Joanne recognizes that the providers’ success is Catholic Charitie’s success, and when both are successful, the children and families see the real benefits of the program. Not only do children receive access to nutritious meals, but they also receive nutrition education and begin building healthy habits that will have an impact throughout their lives. When providers participate in the CACFP, it also puts parents at ease to know their children are well fed and cared for.

 

“It gives children healthy habits for a lifetime. I think, hopefully, when we reach these children at a young age, they are learning these healthy habits, and they will stay with them. It also helps the parents because they can go to work, and they don’t have to worry about the children getting good quality food.”

 

The expansive impact of the food program is what keeps Joanne motivated to continue working in the CACFP. Her love for the program also trickles down to her team members, who are all dedicated and driven by the mission of the food program. With their mission at the center of their work, Joanne hopes to continue growing and reaching more child care providers across Delaware.