The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, is responding to historic levels of food insecurity in 2020, while adding several new members to their Board of Directors and Board of Advisors in 2020 including Charlestown resident Camille Valentine.
“The more I learn about the incredible demand for food assistance in Boston and the surrounding communities, the more passionate I become about trying to help fill this basic human need for our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Valentine. “While unemployment and food insecurity skyrocketed during the pandemic, the GBFB was well prepared to provide assistance. I admire the entire organization and it’s dedicated employees and I am thrilled to be able to help.”
Valentine is Senior Vice President of wealth Management for UBS Financial. She grew up in Galesburg, Illinois and received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and master’s in business administration from Babson College.
The Charlestown native joined the GBFB Board of Advisors during a historic year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food insecurity. Feeding America projected back in May that food insecurity would increase by 59% in Eastern Massachusetts in 2020, so that one in eight people are expected to not have access to enough food for three healthy meals a day.
These food insecurity projections are staggering, but GBFB and its network has supported the surge in demand with resiliency. Since the onset of COVID-19, the GBFB network of food pantries have reported, on average, a 91% increase in clients served.
In September 2020, GBFB welcomed five new members to its Board of Directors and nine new members to its Board of Advisors.
2020 Additions to GBFB Board of Directors
• Heidy King-Jones, Chief Legal Officer at Proventio Bio
• Edward Mackey, Executive Vice President, Global Operations at Boston Scientific
• Carl Paratore, Chief Audit Executive at Tufts Health Plan
• Cedric Terrell, Chief Pharmacy Officer & Vice President Health and Medical Management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
• William Truscott, CEO at Columbia Threadneedle
2020 Additions to GBFB Board of Advisors
• William Adams, Chief Investment Officer: Global Fixed Income at MFS Investment Management
• Hannah Commoss, Institutional Portfolio Manager at Fidelity Investments
• Mark Friedman, former Vice President of Marketing at Corporate Turnaround
• Kim Goldinger, Manager at Silk Fields Farm
• Sean O’Brien, Senior Operating Executive at Hellman & Freeman
• Timocin Pervane, Head of Fulfillment Finance, Shopify
• John Russell, CFO at DDG Partners
• Betsy Scheffel, Co-owner, Sajawi Corporation
• Camille Valentine, Senior Vice President, Wealth Management at UBS Financial