Andy and Chelsea Rotunno are from Burbank, California. They met at Azusa Pacific University, where Andy earned his B.A. in Biblical Studies, and Chelsea earned her B.A. in English. After they got married in 2003, Andy worked as a Bible teacher for four years and youth pastor for ten years at Village Church, while Chelsea homeschooled their children, Eliana, Angelina, John Luke, Rose, and Pearl, and wrote her first e-book, Goodnight to My Thoughts of You. They joined Gleanings staff in 2018 after completing their DTS here. Andy works in procurement and distribution, and Chelsea works in hospitality, special events, and newsletter writing. For fun, Andy loves soccer, barbecue, gardening, and travel. Chelsea loves reading, writing, ballet, and baking desserts.  

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7

http://andyrotunno.com

Jesse and Elisabeth, and their son Asher moved here from Burbank, CA.  They joined our staff family in April 2020.  After completing their DTS here at Gleanings, they applied to come on as full-time staff.  Jesse is our production manager in charge of the warehouse, soup plant, and fumigation.  Elisabeth is a full-time mom and helps with projects around the base.

Shelly Warner, a 2021 DTS graduate. Shelly works in the Gleanings for the Hungry front office and as Gleanings social media contributor. In her spare time, she likes to knit socks and grow food in forest gardens. She is from Everett, WA, Shelly found Gleanings when she was researching how to manage a food bank. When she finally visited in 2019, she knew she wanted to be here long-term. She signed up for the 2021 DTS at the last minute and found the seeds the Lord planted during DTS are continuing to grow. 

Shelly Mission Statement: “It pleases God to place upon my heart delight in growing plants, and to see the fruit in people’s lives. I have a vision of working with our ministry partners around the world; restoring soil, fowing household and community gardens.”

Jonathan and Andria Blaser met at Gleanings in 2012 and were married in 2013 in Switzerland, Jonathan’s home country. They did their DTS as a married couple in 2022 and joined Gleanings staff that same year. Andria is gifted in organizing, planning, and getting things done. Jonathan has skills in maintenance and handyman work.  

Their favorite verse is Romans 5:3-5, which says, “We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

Sara Bartel joined the Gleanings staff in April 2022 and she serves in the housekeeping department. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Sara is the daughter of YWAM missionaries who serve full time in Bogota. She did her DTS at Gleanings in 2017. Sara likes to sing, and she is great with kids. In her spare time, she likes to read, listen to music, and spend time outdoors.
Her favorite verse is from Exodus 14:14, which says, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

Steph is from Shoreline, WA. She first came to Gleanings as a backpacker in 2021. After being a mission builder for several months, she decided to do her DTS at Gleanings in 2022. After outreach, Steph was called to do a School of Biblical Studies at YWAM Yosemite. Once completed, she was called back to join staff at Gleanings for the Hungry in 2023. She enjoys reading, playing music, hiking and learning about the Bible. Her favorite verse is Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Eric and Bev are from Dawson Creek, BC, Canada. They have four kids and six grandkids. The couple completed the YWAM Discipleship Training School at Gleanings for the Hungry in 2020, and they joined as full-time staff in 2023 to help lead future DTS teams. Bev is passionate about fitness and helping people feel transformed, getting healthier and healthier physically and spiritually. Eric loves to work with people, and he loves to fix things. They both love to learn more about God. 

Cheryl came to Gleanings as a Mission Builder in 2016. This was a new phase in her retirement journey that had begun in 2015. Cheryl served at an orphanage in Baja for a year and a half where she met people from Gleanings. Before retirement Cheryl served the Lord as a preschool director for 49 years in Huntington Beach, CA. Cheryl completed her DTS at Gleanings in 2018. She then staffed two Discipleship Training Schools and a local outreach. After going to school at the University of the Nations in Hawaii for a year she returned to Gleanings. Cheryl settled at Gleanings as a staff member in 2024 and is currently working on a Bible project that will take several years. Cheryl loves to pull weeds and clean up messes.

Bryn Baker volunteered for many years at Gleanings before joining the staff in 2023. In addition to managing the peach production in the summer and leading the summer staff as an empowerment team member, Bryn works as assistant manager in the soup plant. She enjoys connecting with people, and she is willing to help wherever needed, including leading worship during chapel. Bryn did her DTS in Romania in 2021 with an outreach in Romania in 2022.

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.”

Christopher and Suzanna Taylor are from New Jersey, but they spent the last four years traveling the country in their RV with their three kids, Isaac, Caleb, and Annabeth. During their RV adventures, they found Gleanings and quickly fell in love with the values here. In 2024 they completed the family DTS at YWAM Matamata in New Zealand with outreach in Thailand, and joined staff at Gleanings at the end of summer 2024. Christopher served 26 years in the army, where he excelled in competitive shooting. Suzanna’s background is in restaurant management. They have been married since 2013. Their favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11.

Christopher: “I love the outdoors. Anything working with my hands—big and little projects, building things.”

Suzanna: “I love to travel. I have a servant’s heart, so I love to help. It brings me joy.”