“Building Capacity for Food Pantries”

Born in Sudan and raised in Philadelphia, Methany graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and nutrition. During her time at Penn, she was active in board positions at minority organizations on campus, including the United Minorities Council, Black Student Association, the African American Arts Alliance, and the Muslim Student Association. She volunteers to serve the Philadelphia community at food pantries like Bebashi and Francis Inn, and was active with Community Champions, a student-led organization at Penn created to promote the health of the community in West Philadelphia. Last year, she completed a fellowship with Nutritional Development Services, a federal program aimed to reduce food insecurity in Philadelphia. Methany is passionate about increasing access to safe and healthy foods in low income populations and public health education and promotion.

We feed people in need today and foster collaborative solutions to end hunger tomorrow.

We accomplish this mission by supplying millions of meals per year to over 230 food pantries, shelters and children’s programs in 12 counties in Central Alabama. Our aim is to ensure people in need can access emergency food near where they live. When we identify a gap in this network that leaves specific populations vulnerable to hunger, we operate direct meal programs. For example, we provide fresh produce and groceries to seniors, children at risk of hunger during school breaks, patients facing chronic illness, first-time mothers and others in need. For easy access, we deliver to key locations like schools, senior housing facilities, medical clinics and more.

The Community Food Bank also incubates social enterprises that promote nutrition, prevents wholesome food from going to waste and tests new initiatives that go beyond charity to create healthy food access for all.