This October marks one year since Dana DiMarco joined the Food Bank as chief philanthropy officer, the latest chapter in a 30-year career built on curiosity and purpose.
DiMarco’s time in the nonprofit space has enabled her to understand the work from every angle, with roles in national organizations, at smaller organizations immersed in social services, as well as at a major fundraising software provider, where she built a deep understanding of data. This range is part of what drew DiMarco, who lives in Warwick, to the Food Bank. “This organization’s work is not just food distribution: it’s policy, partnerships, data, systems, and people, all working together,” she remarked, “And it felt like a place where everything I’ve learned could be put to use in a more impactful way.”
With a year under her belt, DiMarco says what has struck her the most is the scale of the need, and of the response. “Food insecurity touches every community and demographic,” she said. “I’ve been blown away by the scale and efficiency of the Food Bank’s response.”
Visits with agency partners across the state have only amplified that sense of scale. “You realize just how essential, and how real, this network is,” she recalled. But for DiMarco, the mission of the Food Bank comes back to something simpler. “At its core, it’s about dignity,” she said. “No one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from.”
