Jane Colony Mills, Executive Director of Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, exemplifies the spirit of Madison House: promoting and sustaining a lifelong commitment to public service. A Charlottesville native, UVA graduate, and Madison House alumna, Jane’s dedication to the local community shines through in her leadership of the pantry. In conversation with Jane, one theme emerged clearly—volunteering is often the first step toward building awareness, understanding, and perspective about the needs within our community.

Jane’s own service journey began during her first and second years at UVA as a Madison House volunteer. She provided childcare at Trinity Church, an experience that first introduced her to the meaningful relationships that Madison House helps cultivate between students and the broader Charlottesville community. Through these interactions, she experienced firsthand how even small acts of service can build connections that extend far beyond campus.

*Fresh produce at Loaves & Fishes Pantry*

Today, as Executive Director of Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry, Jane oversees a large operation that could not function without dedicated volunteers who support 15 paid staff. Each week, more than 140 volunteers across 55 shifts help ensure that community members have access to nutritious food. Student volunteers play a vital role in this effort. From sorting and packing fresh produce and shelf-stable food bags, assembling customized grocery carts and delivering them to visitors in the parking lot, to helping visitors communicate in different languages, volunteers help create a welcoming environment that supports the pantry’s mission to combat food insecurity, with dignity and respect.

For Jane, volunteering at Loaves & Fishes provides students with a deeper awareness of the challenges facing the community around them. Student volunteers bring energy and curiosity that they share with other volunteers, staff, and pantry visitors, and they gain an understanding of how, while we may seem different from others around us, we are all humans who need food to live. Helping provide the basics of life can be profound.

*Jane is a UVA and Madison House alumna*

Reflecting on her own journey, from Madison House volunteer to community partner, Jane appreciates the full-circle nature of her involvement. Even today, she still remembers the children she cared for at Trinity Church during her volunteer shifts. She hopes that students who volunteer at Loaves & Fishes will build similarly meaningful connections.

For Jane, the true power of Madison House lies in its ability to help students discover interests that spark passion and inspire lifelong service. When students gravitate toward causes that matter to them, explore those interests through volunteering, and witness the impact of their work firsthand, those experiences can shape the direction of their lives. In that process of discovery, turning curiosity into commitment and service into passion, Jane finds hope.

By Julianne Kiker