Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At The Greater Boston Food Bank, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are integral parts of our history, values, and mission. We respect the unique perspectives and potential of our team members and believe every person in our community deserves access to healthy food.

We know that to end hunger, we must take action to eliminate the root causes of food insecurity by working to promote racial, gender and economic equity to achieve social justice. We know inclusion happens when we actively listen to and engage with our community. We recognize the diverse identities and lived expertise of our team and the people we serve. We are committed to addressing equity in food access through policy, partnerships, and providing nutritious and culturally responsive food across our Eastern Massachusetts community. Together, with our team, our partners, and our community, we will end hunger here.

Our Commitment to Act 

Our founder, Kip Tiernan, understood early on that food insecurity exists due to the impact of systemic barriers on gender, race, and economic equity. Throughout our history, The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) has held the conviction that access to healthy food is a human right. That everyone, no matter their circumstances, should have access to healthy food and proper nutrition. This deeply held belief drives our work to remove barriers and invest in our community to create equitable access to nutritious and culturally responsive foods to feed Eastern Massachusetts. Our research shows that our neighbors, particularly those from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, continue to experience higher rates of food insecurity and poverty, worse health, and health outcomes. These environmental barriers and challenges continue to guide our efforts to advance public policy that accelerates current food access programs while also supporting sustainable, root-cause legislative solutions that intersect with hunger-relief and advance equity.

As a core value at GBFB, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is at the center of our work both internally and within the community. Together, Team GBFB has embarked on a journey to further weave a DEI lens into the heart of our business practices and our culture. Building upon previous efforts, GBFB identified that there was a need for an organizational DEI statement and strategy. To pursue these actions with intentionality, GBFB hired a DEI-focused Human Resources Manager to help develop a framework internally.

In 2022, GBFB’s Board of Directors approved a DEI statement and a three-year strategic plan to provide our organization with an aligned foundation and a focused plan to build and reinforce an equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture of belonging and align with our organization’s vision, including:  

• Building and maintaining a team comprised of diverse identities and lived expertise,
• Meeting the varied (and changing) needs of the communities GBFB supports,
• Creating equitable access to culturally responsive food,
• Working to promote racial, gender, and economic equity, 
• Actively listening to and engaging with our community and those with lived experience, and
• Meeting the needs of the communities GBFB supports with all available resources, including digital resources that meet community members where they are.

GBFB still has work to do, yet we look forward to continuing this important work to strengthen our culture and ensure that our DEI efforts advance our mission to end hunger here in Eastern Massachusetts. That is how we will create communities where everyone thrives together.