As the pandemic impacts continue to spur historic levels of need and the cost of living skyrockets for community members in every economic bracket, All Faiths Food Bank is committed to meeting immediate needs as well as bringing attention to – and working to bring down – the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity. All Faiths is pleased to announce its 2022 board of directors, who will help to support and continue the organization's decades of committed service as a trusted organization working to better the community.

The 2022 officers of the board are: Ben Hanan, chair; Terri Vitale, vice chair; Paul Cantor, treasurer; Patricia Courtois, secretary; and Nelle Miller, immediate past chair. Members are: Mary Kay Burns, Tomas Dinverno, Dennis Doughty, LaShawn Frost, Lisa Keverian-Press, Bart Lowther, Hal Munter, Neal Vorchheimer and Elton White.

Burns and Frost are new to the board this year. Burns, who served as the Health Officer for the Florida Department of Health – for both DeSoto and Highlands counties – from 2004-2021, is extremely active in the community. She has served on All Faiths Food Bank’s DeSoto Food & Resource Center Advisory Council and worked with organizations and efforts in DeSoto County including the Age Friendly Network, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, DeSoto Community Foundation, Rotary Club DeSoto, Take Stock in Children, and United Way Suncoast Leadership Committee.

Frost is the principal of Booker Middle School. Since arriving at Booker nine years ago, the school has been named a College for Every Student (CFES) Pathways School of Distinction (based on its performance during the 2017-18 school year). She has received numerous awards for her achievements in education and the community, most recently as the University of South Florida’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni of the year for Education; she was also the recipient of the College of Education’s Spirit of Partnership Award.

"As our focus grows from providing nutritional assistance to our neighbors in need to working to eradicate the root causes of hunger, having strong, visionary leaders with diverse backgrounds and life experiences is essential to guiding our efforts," said Sandra Frank, CEO of All Faiths. "We are very pleased to welcome LaShawn and Mary Kay to our board and are confident they will contribute significantly in helping us to carry out our strategic plan, support our culture, and connect us with others in the community."