Neighborhood Hero: Mitch Battersby, Director of Volunteers Palm Springs Pride, ‘Neighbors Cooking’

Mitch Battersby is involved in various community service projects around the Coachella Valley. Working as the director of volunteers at Palm Springs Pride, hosting his cooking show called “Neighbors Cooking” and working as a city commissioner for Village Fest are just some of his titles. 

But other volunteers and friends of Battersby say his impact on the community goes beyond his titles. 

“Often people will say someone has a heart of gold, but Mitch sure does,” said Janet Siegle, a friend of Mitch and fellow volunteer. “He has enthusiasm, he has a passion for what he does. He wants to help people enrich their lives and just have a better day.”

Siegle and Battersby met one day when Siegle came and knocked on his door. Battersby said he was surprised at first, as many people don’t often knock on neighbors doors. But after sitting and having a conversation, Siegle said they bonded over their passion for community service. 

“We both just had such a passion for the community and giving back and enriching lives,” she said.

Since then, Siegle has engaged in Palm Springs Pride events with Battersby. One volunteer opportunity that stuck out to her the most was Battersby working with Christmas in the Desert, where he facilitated providing over 1,000 community members with a Christmas meal. 

Battersby said no matter what the project is, especially if it includes food, he is there to help the community. 

“I just kind of choose to find positive outlets – my cooking, my pride, feeding our less fortunate communities in time that they need to be fed – and it brings me great joy,” he said.

As the transgender community faces exclusion with current changes to DEI programs, Battersby says coming together, especially now, is the best thing to do. 

“I see nothing but positivity in this community and the negativity that’s trying to seep its way in,” Battersby said. “We just need to stand up and have each other’s backs and say, not here. This is our community.”

With his various jobs in community volunteering, Battersby is also a private chef, and he said food is his true passion. And it’s something his grandma told him to follow. 

“My grandmother used to say, you have to find your passion. You have to live your passion. You have to embrace your passion and it will give toi back to you. Passion will come back and that is true for me in this community,” he said.

Being a private chef has brought him many clients, but one in particular has made a lasting impact. Randy Scott is a former marine, retired school teacher and actor, and has created a lasting friendship with Battersby – one that has saved his life. 

“I get off to the side of the road, and in the middle of the conversation, I had a stroke,” Scott said. “[Battersby] recognized it, and I knew something was wrong. He said ‘Just stay right there’, and he came, and I survived.”

Battersby says he will continue caring for the community in any way he can because of the great value it brings to his life and others. 

“I can’t imagine doing anything else, I truly can’t. I didn’t think I wanted to be here when I first came here, because I wasn’t medically well, with HIV,” he said. “And then when I found my footing, and I found the community, and the community found me, there’s no going back, there’s no going back. Nobody could take me from Palm Springs.”

Stay with News Channel 3 to hear Battersby’s commitment to the Palm Springs Community.