Thank You, Jeanine

Saying Goodbye Has Never Been So Hard

We at Open Table are so very grateful to have had Jeanine Calabria at the helm for the past decade. For many of us, it’s hard to remember a time when she WASN’T here. From volunteering as a head chef on Mondays in Maynard, to taking on the role of President of the organization, to becoming our first Executive Director, Jeanine has shepherded us through a myriad of changes.

Under her watch, Open Table has morphed from a much-loved and well-supported community dinner and pantry into a mobile food hub that serves 21 towns. She has overseen our plans to purchase our own space(s), create a walk-through shopping experience, pivot to online ordering in response to a pandemic, and expand our mobile programs working in partnership with other organizations to bring food to even more people. And she has done this all while figuring out how to grow a living, breathing company from an all-volunteer business to one with paid staff and ongoing commitments.

By the numbers Jeanine has lead us:

• from being all-volunteer organization with zero staff to having 10 paid staff, while still managing over 700 registered volunteers, with over 200 working shifts each week
• running our operations out of nine different locations, including our new Annex
• from serving 160 dinners to delivering over 1000 prepared meals each week, a 432% increase since 2018 alone
• to more than quadruple our yearly fundraising capabilities and through two successful capital campaigns
• and, most importantly, to helping more families and individuals in our local community (a 100% increase in those served since FY18)

Jeanine has unmatched passion and generosity for solving food insecurity and has given all of herself to Open Table for so many years. We are so blessed to have had her as the head of our family, and while we will miss her terribly, we know she will bring her signature warmth, humor, and commitment to this next phase of her life.

Thank you Jeanine, for caring so deeply and helping so many. You will be missed. We wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

The Open Table Staff, Board, Volunteers, and Clients