Catherine D’Amato

Catherine D’Amato’s passion for ending hunger was instilled in her from an early age by her Italian-immigrant father who never turned away a hungry person in need from his modest restaurant in Redding, California. A trailblazer and leader in food banking for 40 years, D’Amato has headed up The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) since 1995.

Under her guidance, GBFB’s food distribution has increased from the equivalent of 7.5 million meals to more than 56 million healthy meals annually through a network of more than 500 partner food pantries, meal programs and shelters across the 190 cities and towns of Eastern Massachusetts. “Hunger can be solved,” D’Amato says. “GBFB is expanding its capacity, growing the volume of healthy foods, working in innovative and collaborative ways with partners and supporters to drive greater impact. We all play a role in ending hunger here.” She is a former board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Basic Health International and an emeritus board member of the Boston Foundation and Feeding America.