FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Greater Boston Food Bank Announces 2024 Partner Appreciation Awards
Annual awards program celebrates individuals and organizations going above and beyond to end hunger here;
Founders Award renamed in honor of GBFB Founder Kip Tiernan
(Boston, MA) May 17, 2024 – The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, honored the individuals and organizations that in 2023 demonstrated extraordinary leadership in supporting GBFB’s hunger-relief efforts. Awardees represent those who partnered with GBFB to advance its mission to end hunger here through food donations, volunteerism, advocacy, philanthropic support, and in-kind donations; empowering the 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents facing food insecurity in Eastern Massachusetts to access nutritious meals.
Since 2003, GBFB’s Partner Appreciation Awards have celebrated those who collaborate with the food bank to end hunger across Eastern Massachusetts.
This year, 11 different individuals and organizations were selected from GBFB’s network of food distribution partners, volunteers, public officials, donors and advocates who have shown dedication to mitigating the food insecurity crisis and providing wide-ranging contributions to hunger-relief.
This year, the Founder’s Award was renamed in honor of GBFB Founder Kip Tiernan, commemorating 50 years since she began distributing food out of the back of her station wagon in 1974 – an operation that would later become the wide-scale hunger-relief organization that is GBFB.
A nationally renowned advocate and trailblazer, Tiernan felt called to a life of social justice and advocacy. In 1968, she left a comfortable life operating an advertising agency to dedicate herself to advocating for housing and hunger-relief across Greater Boston. She also founded Rosie’s Place, the nation’s first shelter dedicated to helping homeless women and their children.
Fifty years later, the face of hunger has changed considerably, but the underlying issue persists. While the state’s public awareness, legislative solutions and food distribution system have progressed tremendously, one-third of Massachusetts adults continue to struggle with food insecurity, and that number is on the rise. Even middle-income families are struggling to feed their families in an increasingly divided and inequitable socioeconomic landscape, as evidenced by the stark county- and identity-based disparities in hunger found in GBFB’s annual study on food access. GBFB expects sustained inequities in the next installment of its annual study, to be released later this spring.
In Tiernan’s memory, GBFB works with an array of partners in its mission to end hunger for all those facing food insecurity across Eastern Massachusetts, while championing the structural solutions needed to ease this burden for future generations.
In honor of Tiernan’s life of selflessness, social justice and advocacy, this award celebrates a leader carrying out GBFB’s mission in her legacy.
“Every step we take towards ending hunger is a testament to the collective action and compassion of a robust hunger-relief community,” said GBFB President and CEO Catherine D’Amato. “These awardees represent the champions who recognize the immediacy of mitigating hunger and do their part to act upon it – through volunteerism, advocacy, strengthening our food system, and dedicating essential time and resources. The support provided to us by our community is indispensable and with these awards, we hope to celebrate the work they do to make a difference for our neighbors in need.”
The 2024 Partner Appreciation Award honorees are comprised of the following individuals and organizations:
Kip Tiernan Award
Diane Bevan, a Sudbury, MA resident and chair of GBFB’s Innovative Development Council (IDC), was honored with the Kip Tiernan Award for her unwavering leadership and support of GBFB since 1999. She has made a lasting impact on GBFB in several capacities, including leading the IDC and its members through the challenges of the pandemic, organizing fundraising efforts such as a women’s golf tournament and GBFB’s Thank-a-Thon, volunteering at the warehouse, and a lifetime of charitable giving.
Leadership Award
MFS Investment Management was presented with the Leadership Award for its consistent philanthropic support through corporate matching gifts and employee volunteering efforts. MFS’s volunteers helped GBFB pack over 52,000 pounds of food in the past year along with supporting GBFB financially to help provide over 267,000 meals to neighbors in need. In the coming months, MFS plans to deepen its engagement through its six employee resource groups, which will continue quarterly volunteer shifts and promote additional giving and involvement with GBFB.
President’s Choice Award
Karen Holmes Ward, WCVB director of public affairs and community services as well as host and executive producer of “CityLine”, was honored with the President’s Choice Award. Karen noticed the emergent need for food early in the COVID-19 crisis and coordinated a full week of GBFB fundraising in May 2020, raising nearly $3 million in donations. Alongside coordinating regular media coverage of GBFB’s mission and hunger-relief initiatives, she continues to champion and direct the station’s annual Day of Giving fundraiser every September to raise essential funds and public awareness around the state of food insecurity.
In-Kind Donor of the Year
Amazon New England was named In-Kind Donor of the Year for offering invaluable transportation services, donating a full-sized tractor trailer twice a week to help GBFB deliver healthy food to its partner agencies. Since June 2021, Amazon has helped move nearly 5 million pounds of food to agency partners throughout Eastern Massachusetts. In addition to these in-kind services, Amazon has supported GBFB’s mission to end hunger through philanthropic support and employee volunteering.
Food Donor of the Year
Kayem Foods, a Chelsea-based, family-owned business, was named Food Donor of the Year. Since partnering with GBFB, Kayem’s logistics team has worked seamlessly to donate nearly 45,000 pounds of food (the equivalent of 37,452 healthy meals) through 16 deliveries to the GBFB facility. Products donated are high-quality, nutritious meat items, including sausage, ham, roast beef, chicken breast, turkey, bologna, meat balls and hot dogs.
Community Partner of the Year
The Salem Pantry was named Community Partner of the Year, serving as a reliable strategic hunger-relief partner for Salem and surrounding communities. The Salem Pantry’s warehouse also serves as a shared delivery site, allowing nearby agencies to pick up deliveries in one centralized location. In 2023 they also opened The Marketplace, the new permanent home for the food pantry, while continuing to offer weekly mobile markets at several sites throughout the city. The new pantry location enables clients to access nutritious food through a client-choice model.
Volunteer of the Year (Individual)
Susan Moser, a Lexington, MA resident, was named Volunteer of the Year. Since August 2020, Susan has volunteered over 412 hours at GBFB’s warehouse, arriving at each shift with a smile on her face and ready to assist with any project. Thanks to her extensive experience working with GBFB, she now helps support the volunteer training program. She has been a constant even when volunteers were sparse, always finding time to support GBFB’s mission to end hunger here despite a busy schedule working in her community and spending time with her family.
Volunteer of the Year (Institution)
Brown Brothers Harriman, a privately-owned financial firm, was honored as the institutional Volunteer of the Year. One hundred sixty-three participants have joined GBFB’s volunteering program for a combined total of almost 500 hours of volunteer time. Brown Brothers Harriman’s volunteers are efficient, positive and eager to help. During their time volunteering, they have packaged food boxes, sorted fresh produce, created ingredient labels, supported cleaning initiatives and more. The group has several shifts scheduled through the remainder of the year.
Public Advocates of the Year
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) was named one of three Public Advocates of the Year for its instrumental role in carrying out a number of state and federal hunger-relief programs. Among the initiatives that DESE has championed are Free School Meals for K-12 students, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) for the effective distribution and use of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) products, and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) for the advancement of senior nutrition programs. DESE has also supported GBFB through a USDA Reach and Resiliency Grant program, that supports capacity-building grants for our agency partners, technology investments in our network and funding for GBFB’s annual statewide food insecurity study in collaboration with Mass General Brigham – the 2024 report will be released later this month.
State Senator Julian Cyr (D-Truro) was recognized as Public Advocate of the Year in the State Senate for his steady commitment to advancing hunger-relief policy such as free school meals, as well as his involvement in food is medicine initiatives and food systems coordination. He also participated in GBFB’s Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) Roadshow, which raised awareness about the value of the program for local farms, food production companies and emergency food distribution partners.
State Representative Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley) was named Public Advocate of the Year in the House of Representatives, as a leader central to securing free school meals in 2023. Amidst a challenging economic climate and humanitarian crisis due to the influx of newly arriving migrants, Rep. Peisch stepped up to ensure SNAP benefits are available to legally present migrants through a $6 million investment in a supplemental state budget.
About The Greater Boston Food Bank:
The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. For nearly half a century, GBFB has fueled Eastern Massachusetts’ hunger-relief system, putting nearly 90 million healthy meals on tables across the region each year. Over 600 community-based pantries and other local partners in 190 cities and towns depend on GBFB to provide access to healthy food for 600,000 people every month. GBFB is committed to the belief that access to healthy food is a human right regardless of an individual’s circumstances. Through policy, partnerships, and providing free, nutritious, and culturally responsive food, GBFB is committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity while promoting racial, gender and economic equity in food access. Together, we have the power to end hunger here. For more information and to help us help others, visit us at GBFB.org, follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200.
Media Contact
Nate Hillyer
The Castle Group
M 860.574.5507
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