Park City’s Food Pantry rockstar earns Deputy Director title

Jaime Mira in his Christian Center Food Pantry. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

Jaime Mira, CCPC's longtime food pantry champion and "happy grandpa," steps into newly created deputy director role after nearly a decade of service to Summit County communities

PARK CITY, Utah — On Tuesday, Jaime Mira stepped into his newly promoted role as the food pantry deputy director at the Christian Center of Park City (CCPC), and if that name sounds familiar to countless year-round locals and seasonal workers, they’re right.

He’s been a mainstay for almost a decade.

“The promotion is simply a reflection of what he already does,” CCPC Executive Director Steve Richardson told TownLift at the food pantry last week. “Yes, he is now the deputy director for the food pantry here in order to expand his role to truly serve the entire community and especially our Latinx community.”

Mira, an El Salvadoran native and “happy grandpa,” as he puts it, lives in Coalville. “Now I have another way to serve the community, including from inside our organization,” he said. “I have more of a voice to represent the community. I’m glad to be even more involved with the community.”

Four years ago he was an instrumental part of a team that vastly expanded the dates, times and locations where the mobile food pantry box trucks set up shop in Coalville, Kamas, Heber and apartment complexes in and around Park City.

The deputy director position is newly created, according to Mira, designed to expand the food pantry’s community outreach efforts.

When not working to solve food insecurity in Summit County, Mira returns home to Coalville where he lives with his wife and enjoys spending time with his daughter, a North Summit High School alumna, and his 3-year-old grandchild.

Moving steadily up the leadership ladder, seven years ago Mira started volunteering in the receiving department of the food pantry. He applied for a part-time position two months later, and after he got that title, he applied for a full-time position, and then the manager’s role in which he’s worked for years before his recent promotion.

Besides a two-year stint in California, he’s lived in Summit County “all my U.S. life.”

People can catch Mira at any one of his multiple public speaking, Spanish-speaking appearances on Park City panels.

At the food pantry, Mira eagerly welcomes everyone he meets. He takes time to orient first-time visitors, while gently reminding donors, volunteers and longtime shoppers about upcoming fundraisers like Hike for Hunger, Back to School Basics and Operation Hope. His enthusiasm for these community events is contagious.

The perfect pitch man, it also rolls off his tongue, unsolicited, when he verbalizes his ongoing thanks to the national, state and local businesses who partner with the CCPC to donate food to the pantry. Those include but are not limited to Trader Joe’s, Deer Valley, Grub Steak, Smith’s, Walmart, Fresh Market, The Market at Park City, Whole Foods, Macey’s and Park City Bread and Bagel.

Talking up those entities comes organically to him as he can barely hide his pride in his job.