In 2004, Boston Area Gleaners began as a project undertaken by a few volunteers. Since then, the Gleaners have grown immensely, and in 2020, we distributed more than 5 million pounds of fresh, locally grown produce to families who lacked affordable access to nutritious food in Massachusetts.
The board is currently comprised of 13 members who provide high-level oversight to the organization and our leadership team. Our leadership team consists of our Executive Director, Usha Thakrar, and our Director of Strategy & Operations, Dylan Frazier. Usha and Dylan oversee a core group of 31 full and part-time administrative and operational staff. Operationally, we've partnered with a community of 5,000+ volunteers, 90 farm partners, and 60 food access organizations throughout our tenure.
We are seeking individuals with diverse backgrounds and life experiences who will help further our mission. As we grow, we are committed to continued excellence combined with increased diversity and inclusion.
We are particularly interested in bringing on board members with
nonprofit experience and/or business/corporate connections in diverse areas of Greater Boston
a demonstrated commitment to improving affordable food access, strengthening local food systems, food access policy
interest in working to increase the social capital and equity of people and communities that have been marginalized.
Board members must commit to attending monthly meetings, assisting with fundraising, outreach, and community-building events throughout the year, and making significant contributions to committee work. Board committees vital to our growth include Our current board committees include Governance, Finance, Fundraising/Development, and DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion). To maximize efficiency, committees often collaborate by phone/email or by sharing working documents online to:
Monitor program performance and impact;
Oversee compliance with laws and regulations and fulfillment of contractual obligations;
Provide financial oversight and ensure efficient use of resources;
Approve a fundraising strategy and monitor its implementation and effectiveness.
We are looking for individuals who are ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in—and learn—regardless of their primary area of expertise. We hope you will consider sharing your time, ideas, and talent with us during this exciting time. With your help, we can have an even greater impact in fighting food insecurity.
If you are interested in discussing potential board membership please fill out an application below.
BOSTON AREA GLEANERS DIVERSITY STATEMENT We expect that the board and staff of our organization will consist of people who are committed to addressing food insecurity. Given the diversity of people impacted by food insecurity, we aspire and make every reasonable effort to develop a board, staff, and volunteer base that reflects that diversity. We believe that such diversity will strengthen our organization, enhance our decision making and accountability to the mission, and build and broaden the community of volunteers and funders, whose participation is so essential to our shared success.
