2026 begins in earnest, and many of us are thinking about goals, resolutions, and the kind of impact we’re focused on making, not just personally, but through our work, our businesses, and our communities.

In this episode of Worthy for Thirty, I sat down with Eliza Blank, CEO of The Farmlink Project and founder of The Sill, for a grounded and timely conversation about what it really means to commit to impact in the new year. Rather than chasing shiny new efforts, Eliza offers a powerful counterpoint: real impact comes from resilience, focus, and the ability to deliver consistently, when people need you most.

Remember my conversation with Rachel Doyle at Glamour Gals? Service to others is key!

As organizations face economic uncertainty, shifting donor priorities, and growing demand, this conversation feels especially relevant for anyone setting intentions for the year ahead.

Eliza shares how Farmlink is approaching 2026 with clarity and discipline, doubling down on its core mission of delivering fresh, healthy produce to food banks through the charitable food network. There are 40 million Americans, Eliza mentioned, who are food insecure. They don’t know where or when their next meal will come.

In 2025 alone, Farmlink helped distribute 150 million pounds of surplus produce to food banks across the US, serving as a reliable safety net for communities.

The Farmlink Project is a nonprofit that connects farmers with communities facing food insecurity by rescuing fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste. They move surplus food from farms to food banks and meal programs, getting nutritious food to people who need it most

What stands out most is Eliza’s emphasis on operational reliability as a form of impact. Growth matters, but only when it’s sustainable, scalable, and built on trust. This episode challenges listeners to rethink what success looks like in the year ahead and how personal and organizational goals can translate into measurable good.

5 Actionable Takeaways to Shape Your 2026 Impact

1. Make “being dependable” part of your mission

Farmlink’s focus mirrors organizations like Feeding America, where consistency and infrastructure matter as much as expansion. Eliza is a hired gun who knows how to build scalable operational systems from her time as the day-to-day CEO at The Sill.Action: Identify where your work, whether a business or nonprofit, needs stronger systems to deliver reliably before it grows bigger.

2. Optimize before you expand

Instead of reinventing the wheel, Farmlink refined what already worked and scaled it thoughtfully. This echoes companies like Patagonia, which deepened its environmental impact by strengthening supply chains before launching new initiatives.Action: Audit your core offering. What’s already working and how could you make it more efficient, strategic, or sustainable?

3. Set goals that can be counted, not just admired

The Farmlink Project’s north star of getting to “150 million pounds of fresh produce delivered” is also a measurable outcome, not a vague aspiration.Action: Translate your 2026 goals into a number, metric, or milestone that people can latch on to. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage or share it.

4. Build partnerships that increase scale and sustainability

Farmlink’s success is rooted in collaboration across farmers, nonprofits, and logistics partners similar to models used by organizations like World Central Kitchen.Action: Look beyond solo wins. Collaborations amplify impact!

5. Treat resilience as a long-term advantage

Eliza frames resilience not as a reaction to crisis, but as a strategic choice.Action: Ask yourself: If demand doubled tomorrow, would we break or rise to the moment?

Why This Conversation Is Worth(y) to Share!

If your New Year’s resolutions include making your work more intentional and impact-focused or aligning success with service, this episode provides a rare mix of inspiration and execution. It’s a reminder that impact doesn’t always come from doing something new. Sometimes, it comes from doing the right thing better, longer, and together.

If this conversation resonated, share it with someone who’s building, leading, or rethinking with intention in 2026.

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