Press Release: Katie Martin, Keynote Speaker

Anti-Hunger Thought Leader Katie Martin to Keynote 2021 Open Table Annual Meeting

Well-known anti-hunger authority advocates for turning food-focused charities into centers of community empowerment

Concord and Maynard, MA (September 9, 2021) – Open Table, the Concord and Maynard charity dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthy communities, announced today that Katie Martin, PhD, a thought leader with 25+ years of experience in anti-hunger work, will be the keynote speaker for its 2021 annual meeting. Scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22 the Open Table annual meeting will be held online and is open to the public

Date:   September 22

Time:   7:00 p.m

To register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIuduytqjgtGNILlDtLXVj_pb3E3wxtMPhT

Martin is the Executive Director of the Foodshare Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions, and the author of the book “Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger.”  She is an advocate for transforming food-focused charities into centers of community empowerment that foster long-term stability instead of stopgaps for short-term emergencies.

Katie has worked with dozens of food banks and food pantries to help promote healthy food, and address root causes of food insecurity. She also has conducted rigorous research to evaluate food pantry programs.

“The past year has been a game changer for Open Table. Constrained by Covid -19, we quickly pivoted to a drive-through food pantry and adopted new ways of interacting with our guests, such as online ordering,” said Jeanine Calabria, executive director, Open Table. “As we continue to fine-tune our mission and our services, we welcome Katie Martin as the Open Table 2021 keynote speaker and look forward to hearing her thoughts on how to transform and improve organizations like Open Table.”