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.