“If not us, who? If not now, when?” the questions Danielle “Dani” Ruhf asked herself when she began contemplating the founding of her business, CHOP Out Hunger. “Problems do not fix themselves. If you see a need and you have the capacity to act, you have a responsibility to act. I also believe that excellence honors both the mission and the people we serve. If you’re unable to act, find someone who can and will,” she explains.
As founder and CEO of CHOP Out Hunger, the businesswoman is responsible for the overall strategic direction, growth, and sustainability of the organization. She oversees multi-county operations, fundraising and development, financial stewardship, board governance, partnerships, and long-term expansion planning.
On any given day, the business woman may be meeting with donors, negotiating partnerships, reviewing budgets, writing grants, solving operational challenges in the warehouse, or casting vision for where we will be five years from now. “My job is to ensure that tens of thousands of children across Pennsylvania have consistent, stigma-free access to nutritious food every single week,” she said.
After learning that students in her daughter’s school were going without lunch if they did not have money, the young woman started a small backpack program to send food home on weekends. What began with 45 students grew into a multi-county nonprofit serving tens of thousands of children weekly.
Ruhf’s formal education provided foundational business and leadership knowledge, but the majority of her growth came from hands-on experience; building programs from scratch, navigating rapid expansion, learning nonprofit law and finance, and surrounding herself with people smarter than herself. “I built CHOP the same way many entrepreneurs build businesses: through grit, humility, and an unwillingness to ignore a problem,” she noted.
Her mentors include several business leaders and nonprofit executives who modeled resilience and strategic thinking. “I have sought wisdom from people who understand scale, sustainability, and governance. I believe in learning from every room I walk into,” she explained.
Ruhf attributes her success to clarity of mission and the refusal to quit. “When your ‘why’ is strong enough, when you know children are counting on you, obstacles become strategy sessions, not stopping points. I also attribute our success to building strong systems early, hiring exceptional people, and being willing to make hard decisions for long-term health. Success is the only option, otherwise children are going hungry,“ she added.
Ruhf has received great support from her family throughout her journey. “Building an organization from the ground up requires long hours, emotional energy, and risk. Their encouragement and belief in the mission have made it possible for me to achieve my goals,” she explains.
Beyond leading CHOP Out Hunger, the young woman actively collaborates with school districts, community leaders, businesses, and policymakers to strengthen food access systems across Pennsylvania. She serves as a connector, bringing people together to solve problems that no single organization can solve alone. She also sits on boards of organizations that are dear to her heart.
Under the leadership of Ruhf, CHOP Out Hunger has received numerous regional recognitions for community impact and nonprofit growth. These include the Helping Hands Award, SAGE Nonprofit of the Year, and SAGE award for Community Involvement Excellence.
CHOP Out Hunger started with one simple belief that no child should go hungry in a state as resource-rich as Pennsylvania. What began as a small act of concern has grown into a scalable, sustainable organization serving entire counties. “This recognition is not about me; it represents the staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners who refuse to accept child hunger as inevitable. We are building something that will outlast us; and we are just getting started,” she concluded.
Danielle “Dani” Ruhf
Age: 49
Home: Laceyville
Title: Founder/CEO
Company: CHOP Out Hunger, Elizabeth Street, Towanda / Dickson Avenue, Scranton