John and Kristin Marovelli are lifelong Rhode Islanders. John is a financial analyst, and Kristin is a service advisor at a large auto dealership. They’d always been familiar with the work of the Food Bank, and donated from time to time, but 12 years ago, they committed to becoming monthly Sustainers Harvest donors.

“We were in a very thankful space and were looking for an opportunity to give back,” John said. “I started researching nonprofit organizations and there are so many! But I couldn’t imagine a more basic need than having enough to eat. Giving regularly to the Food Bank was the right fit for Kristin and me.”

Kristin emphasized that many people are one emergency away from a financial crisis or difficult situation. “You never know if you’re going to be the next ones who need support.”

The Marovellis have since deepened their commitment to our work by adding the Food Bank as a beneficiary in their will, joining the 1982 Benefactors’ Society.

“Steve Jobs once said, ‘don’t be the richest person in the cemetery’ and that stuck with us,” John shared. “What better legacy to leave than to feed our home state.”

The couple appreciated being able to visit the Food Bank to see the operation in action. Seeing the tangible impact of their donation resonated with them. “I wish more people would make themselves aware and open their hearts and their wallets. Every little bit helps.”

Every Wednesday for six weeks, the Food Bank’s community nutrition team visited St. Elizabeth senior housing facility in Providence to bring the residents their Healthy Habits nutrition education content. St. Elizabeth resident, the funny and charming Lenny, didn’t miss a single class. Although Lenny is blind, and suffers from neuropathy, as well as being a cancer survivor, he remains resilient. “I’m like a broken truck that ain’t been going. But it ain’t stopped running yet,” Lenny quipped.

He credits his tight-knit community with providing a sense of belonging and care. Though Lenny’s blindness prevents him from cooking in his apartment, he said he learned a lot about healthy eating from the class series, and most importantly, loved connecting with his neighbors and the Healthy Habits team.

“My neighbors say to me, ‘you coming to class?’ And I say, ‘you know I am.’ Because learning something, getting healthy food… it’s good. We need this.”

Lenny receives SNAP benefits but is limited to shopping only where the bus stops, which means he isn’t able to bargain-hunt. Rising grocery prices for staples like milk, juice, bread, and eggs have severely impacted his budget, so he buys less.

A weekly Healthy Habits class might not seem like much. But for people like Lenny, it means everything.

For decades, Stop & Shop has been committed to promoting nutrition and food security in all of the communities they serve. In the face of increased need, the grocery chain continues to find creative and timely ways to support the Food Bank.

“As a company, we’ve been even more focused on fighting food insecurity across the neighborhoods we serve,” said Stephanie Cunha, Stop & Shop’s external communications manager. “We’ve doubled down on our efforts to ensure our neighbors have access to high-quality, nutritious food, and that kids don’t go to school hungry. It’s an important part of our brand.”

According to Cunha, it’s about more than dropping off a big check once or twice a year. Giving back is part of Stop & Shop’s culture.

Dave Macchioni, a Stop & Shop store manager who serves on the Food Bank’s board of directors, echoes the sentiment.

“When I get to talk about my role with the Food Bank, it’s a very proud moment for me,” Macchioni shared. “I love saying that I work for a great company like Stop & Shop that is focused on the community, and that I represent them on the board of the Food Bank.”

In FY25, Stop & Shop sponsored the Food Bank’s Souper Bowl of Caring telethon, as well as our Empty Bowls fundraiser. They conducted two “round up at the register” campaigns on our behalf; donated 1,000 turkeys during the holidays; and facilitated the donation of 55,000 units of shelf-stable milk. Stop & Shop also provided grant funding to create Meals4Kids boxes for distribution across our network.

Partners like Stop & Shop are so important to the work we do because they value our mission and work closely with us to help in the moments it matters most. We are so grateful for the support.

Note: While this report covers fiscal year 2025 (July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025), we want to share our gratitude to Stop & Shop for stepping up during the government shutdown and SNAP crisis in the fall of 2025.

Fifty-one-year-old Altagracia is proud. She worked her way out of affordable housing, and with her job as a dining and retail supervisor at a local university, she was able to buy a multi-family home. She lives on the first floor with her grandson, whom she adopted, while one of her daughters rents the upstairs unit for her and her two teenage step-children.

But when she sustained a back injury on the job and was forced to take time off, it drastically reduced her income, leaving her with only $200 per week in disability benefits.

Prior to her injury, Altagracia earned enough to pay her mortgage, car payments, and household expenses. But without her normal income, all of that became much harder. Altagracia knew her situation was temporary – but that didn’t make it any easier to cover the bills.

We met Altagracia at Olneyville Food Center in Providence, a member agency of the Food Bank. She had picked out some milk, bread, fruits, and vegetables, and was planning on making a dish from her native Dominican Republic. She shared that she’ll only visit the pantry when she truly needs it, but that’s been more often lately.

In these times of uncertainty, Altagracia is most concerned about her family. Her adult children have had problems of their own and rely on her a lot. She knows they’re grown up, but she says that doesn’t stop her from worrying about them.

“It’s just me and my kids,” Altagracia said. “I may fall, but for their sake, I get up. As hard as the world is, you have to.”

Community Outreach
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal nutrition program, provides eligible households with funds that can be used at a variety of retailers and markets to purchase food. Yet many people don’t know if they are eligible for the benefit, or struggle to navigate the application process. Our trained, bi-lingual SNAP outreach team visits agencies to assist guests who may be eligible to apply.

With the new administration, SNAP and other federal programs were under attack, and our team’s work became even more important. In FY25, our team completed 88 outreach visits, reaching more than 1,470 households to determine eligibility, assist with applications, answer questions and offering other service referrals if needed. As a result, eligible households claimed more than $1.1 million in SNAP benefits that may have otherwise not been received.

Feeding America SNAP Grant
The Food Bank received a grant from Feeding America, kicking off a three-year initiative to protect and strengthen SNAP at the state level. The grant will allow the Food Bank to dedicate efforts to build advocacy capacity not only at the Food Bank level, but with our member agencies as well.
The Food Bank will develop a state specific workplan that will include building statewide coalitions, addressing program barriers, engaging with key state elected and appointed leaders, and advocating for policies that improve food security.

The Food Bank joins a cohort of seven states, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, Maryland and Washington DC to share best practices and learn from each other to create strong SNAP policies.

Change Brings Opportunity

Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025), was a time of working to ensure that as the economic and political landscape changed in our country, the Food Bank was prepared to meet the evolving needs of those we serve. This work became even more important over the summer, when the Trump Administration announced the HR1 bill, which included unprecedented cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. It was also a time of transition, as we welcomed our new CEO, Melissa Cherney, a veteran food banker from North Dakota.

Clockwise: 1. Former CEO, Andrew Schiff, honored Senate Finance Chairman, Louis DiPalma and House Finance Chairman, Marvin Abney for their contributions to ending hunger in Rhode Island; 2. Congressman Gabe Amo (far right), hosted a press conference at the Food Bank around cuts to SNAP proposed by the administration; 3. Food Bank staff continued outreach in the community with important programming. Here, a member of our community nutrition team chats with a young girl at one of our Kids Cafe meal sites; 4. Prior to Andrew Schiff’s retirement in May of 2025, he met with incoming CEO, Melissa Cherney to ensure a smooth leadership transition; 5. Senator Jack Reed visits the Food Bank to show his support for our critical mission; 6. Food Bank board member and Executive Director of Women’s Refugee Care, Aline Binyungu, embraces Cherney at the Food Bank’s summer staff luncheon; 7. Cherney tours the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Pantry in Newport with Executive Director, Heather Hole Strout.

Melissa Cherney
Chief Executive Officer

As I complete my fifth month at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, I can’t help but reflect on recent events and how we all have risen to the challenge with heart, grit and empathy. We experienced a crisis during the federal government shutdown and lapse in SNAP benefits, yet the community stepped up in incredible ways to ensure no Rhode Islander went hungry.

Fiscal year 2025, before my arrival, was certainly a challenging year, both for the Food Bank and for the communities we serve. Families felt the effects of a tumultuous economy, and we worked hard to serve more people with fewer resources. But with the help of our incredible staff, the support of our community, and the generosity of our donors, together, we accomplished so much and should be proud.

I may not know what lies ahead of us in 2026, but I do know that if we all stand together, we can overcome any challenge. I have a mantra from the late Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota: “We all do better when we ALL do better.” We have been saying that a lot around here lately. It’s going to take all of us, united in our efforts, to navigate the challenges ahead and ensure every Rhode Islander has access to the food they need to thrive.

Jyothi Subramaniam
Board President

When Andrew Schiff told me he was retiring from his role as CEO of the Food Bank to spend more time with his family, it felt like the end of an era. And it was! What Andrew brought to this organization, even in his final months before sailing into retirement, was nothing short of extraordinary. Over 18 years, his passion for the mission, and his quiet, steady leadership made its mark on the Food Bank in ways both big and small.

Much of FY25 was spent both honoring Andrew’s legacy and searching for someone to fill his very large shoes. When we chose Melissa, a veteran food banker from North Dakota as our next CEO, we couldn’t have known her first 6 months on the job would be filled with the kind of unprecedented challenges many CEOs only see a handful of in their career. But Melissa has risen to the challenge with strength and grace, hitting the ground running in Rhode Island.

As we look back on what we’ve accomplished, I’m excited to look ahead and see what the Food Bank’s next chapter holds for us. As always, we’re deeply grateful for your continued support.