ANDREW SCHIFF TO LEAVE RHODE ISLAND COMMUNITY FOOD BANK WITH LEGACY OF SERVICE AND COMPASSION

Longtime CEO to Retire from the Organization in 2025

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Community Food Bank announced today that Andrew Schiff, who has served as chief executive officer for more than 17 years, will retire from the organization in 2025. During his impressive tenure, Schiff doubled the amount of food distributed to people in need, with the Food Bank currently serving more than 82,000 Rhode Islanders each month through its network of 147 member agencies.

“Through the recession of 2008, a global pandemic, and this current time of unprecedented need, Andrew has been both a calm and courageous leader,” said Jyothi Subramaniam, president of the Board of Directors. “He leads this organization with a strong vision and approaches the work with humility and compassion. On behalf of the board, our staff, and the many partner organizations that share our vision for a state where no one goes hungry, I want to express our deepest gratitude to Andrew for his many years of service.”

Over his nearly two decades of nonprofit leadership, Schiff has been a fierce advocate alongside community partners for not only improving food security, but for other critical issues impacting the health and well-being of Rhode Islanders, including raising the minimum wage, increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit, and improving access to SNAP, WIC, and school meals. Prior to his work with the Food Bank, he was the assistant director for Project Bread’s The Walk for Hunger.

Schiff, who is looking forward to spending more time with his children and new grandson as he prepares to step back, will remain with the organization into late spring to support the search for and onboarding of a new leader.

“It has been a tremendous honor to lead the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and play a small role in caring and advocating for families who need it most,” said Schiff. “When I first interviewed for this position, I said we needed to have big ideas and a big heart. This organization has both in ample supply, and I am proud to say that we are in a strong position as we look for a new leader with the vision to carry the Food Bank into its next chapter.”

The need for food has increased by 43 percent between 2022 and 2024. According to the latest RI Life Index, nearly one in three households in Rhode Island are food insecure, meaning they cannot meet their basic food needs. This is particularly worrisome for youth in the state, as 38 percent of households with children are food insecure.

In 2023, the Food Bank distributed 18.3 million pounds of food, of which 4.1 million pounds were fresh produce. Increasing the amount of healthy and culturally relevant food, especially fresh produce, has been a top priority for Schiff.

“Families across the nation are struggling to afford healthy food as they juggle high costs of housing, utilities, and other living expenses. Now, perhaps more than ever, organizations like the Rhode Island Community Food Bank are an essential safety net, and leaders like Andrew are at the frontline of providing not just food, but hope, to people in need,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, chief executive officer of Feeding America, a national network of food banks, food pantries, and local meal programs of which the RI Community Food Bank is a member. “Andrew has been a wonderful partner and the loss of his voice at our collective table of advocates will be deeply felt in Rhode Island and nationwide.”

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank Board of Directors expects to begin a national CEO search process later this fall.

This time last year, we announced that our community partner, the Sankofa Initiative of the West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation, was the recipient of one of Feeding America’s 10 Food Security Equity Impact Fund grants. Food banks across the nation, including ours, applied for the grant on behalf of organizations addressing root causes of food insecurity in communities of color. We were thrilled to see our nomination for Sankofa qualify for a $500,000 grant over 2 years. 

The Sankofa Initiative is made up of a trio of food and agriculture programs, including community gardens, a community kitchen, and a weekly, seasonal farmers market that has transformed more than 35,000 square feet of blighted properties into opportunity for low-income residents, many of whom are refugees, to grow and sell food. The Initiative creates a self-sustaining cycle of community support:

• Growing culturally relevant food preserves heritage and enriches the neighborhood
• Access to garden plots, kitchen space and education creates economic opportunity for neighbors
• Selling food at the weekly farmers market creates community and provides access to fresh food
• Neighbors in need are empowered to make healthier food choices

In the year since the grant was awarded, Sankofa has been busy! Grant funding has enabled:

• 50 new garden beds to support more local growers
• A second community green house allowing farmers to grow in the off season
• New refrigeration in the community kitchen to support developing food businesses
• Multi-lingual business support for budding local food entrepreneurs, assisting with things like permitting and marketing
• Food vouchers for Sankofa’s farmers market for distribution at local pantries, providing access to healthy food
• Additional staff to manage growing programs

In July, Feeding America invited Sankofa and Food Bank staff to Detroit to share the impact of this exciting grant funding with other grantees We shared the video below to emphasize the impact the Sankofa Initiative has had on its community.