Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, knows more about hunger than leading an American nonprofit.
As a child in Louisiana, she benefitted from food supplied by the nonprofit’s network.
One of the network’s food banks is the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank in Verona, which she visited Monday afternoon.
“When I have the opportunity to come to a food bank, I feel so privileged because it gives me a chance to say ‘thank you’ to my heroes and my heroines. People without whom people like me don’t get the chance to have the jobs I get to do today,” Babineaux-Fontenot said.
Babineaux-Fontenot grew up among 107 foster brothers and sisters, because her parents made it their mission to provide for as many children as they could.
She said she wants her work to manifest and make her parents, now both deceased, proud.
But she hopes that employees of food banks across America do not let the business of running a food bank make them forget the meaning of their work: feeding hungry community members.
“I can’t think of anything more important than work that all of you do,” she said.
When she visits food banks, and she is on a current tour of all 200 in Feeding America’s network, she makes sure to engage team members and visit the warehouse.
Babineaux-Fontenot said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, food bank warehouse employees continued to sort, pack and distribute food while Feeding America executives and management were able to work from home.
“For the men and women who work in warehouses, that was the only way to do your job. No matter what it meant. There were people who were actually losing their lives and there are members of our network who, no matter what it meant, were showing up nonetheless. Your country owes you a debt of gratitude,” she said.
She said she is proud “to be attached with the likes” of such selfless individuals and she hopes they are also proud of themselves.
“I salute all of you who do this work, no matter what that work is,” she said. “And I want to honor those of you who do that work here no matter what that means.”
Babineaux-Fontenot’s impression of the food bank in Verona, which is experiencing a higher rate of demand from community need than during the pandemic, is employees are “going deep with food as medicine focused on access to nutritious food.”
“This food bank is doing extraordinary work,” she said.
She added that her visit Monday was important to say thank you to food bank employees.
Nationally and locally, food banks are seeing a significant increase in demand while donations are down.
“Right now many of our food banks are seeing the highest demand in their history,” Babineaux-Fontenot said.
The increase in demand is caused by supports during the pandemic ending and donations not increasing, but she is confident that individuals will do something to help.
When she visits food banks around the country, Babineaux-Fontenot said she is surprised to learn that members of the community do not know a food bank is present or the purpose of a food bank. However, she said she learned Monday that the community around the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank knows it is present and its purpose.
In 2020, Babineaux-Fontenot was named by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Humble beginnings create humble adults and Babineaux-Fontenot said it took her some time to characterize the international acknowledgement. She came to understand it by telling herself she is the face representing the food bank employees who make it happen every day, who feed 6.7 billion meals to 60 million around the United States every year.
She said the future of Feeding America’s network of food banks will not be a straight path without bumps. But, while a person of gratitude and optimism before joining the organization five years ago, she said her depth of gratitude and optimism have grown. While the media shares images of division in the U.S., she gets to travel and see how Americans come together and connect.
The United States “will sustainably change the face of hunger in this country. That’s where I see us going.” But it will not be easy.
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank has already learned the importance of tailoring its resources to fit the needs of its community just as other food banks are also learning.
The Farm Bill 2023 is between farmers in the U.S. and subsidies and important to food banks in order to access food.
“The Farm Bill is a once in five years opportunity,” Babineaux-Fontenot said of what she would like everyone to know. She hopes the public will become more aware of the legislation’s importance and what is going on in Congress because food is foundational.
“When we get this right, everybody wins.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
