Page 25 - BusinessWest October 31, 2022

Women
IMPACT
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST Women of Women of IMPACT
IMPACT
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
WOMEN Women of IMPACT
Jodi Falk
WOMENof Impact
of Impact
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Director, RacWhomel’esnToafble
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
She’s Choreographed a Broader, More Holistic Mission at This Critical Nonprofit
JBy George O’Brien
odi Falk knows what it’s like to be like food-insecure. For a brief time, she received assistance from the
program known as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). It’s not something she can easily talk about — and, in fact, it was something she couldn’t talk about until very
recently, mostly because of the stigma attached to being in the program.
She recalled that time for BusinessWest, however, because, by doing so, she believes she’s helping to address that stigma, while also putting into perspective the feelings of those that she and the organization she leads, Rachel’s Table, serve day in and day out.
“I focused on art making as a means of making voices heard and bodies seen that aren’t always heard and seen. I became more interested in the lives of those with whom I was dancing, in their nourishment, and when Rachel’s Table had an opening for a director, I felt that I could serve more people with nourishment from a literal as well as figurative
perspective.”
“Those were the days when it wasn’t a card you can give to a cashier or put in a machine, but checks to hand to a person who made sure that what you purchased was on their list — and this could take a while, which was embarrassing,” she recalled. “I used to look around the store to see if I knew anyone, and if I did, I would wait until I was sure they had left the store before going to the register.”
Elaborating, she said she is still embarrassed to talk about those experiences, but admits that they made her aware, and understanding, of what others may be going through when they are on government assistance. And she believes her story has given her some perspective that each individual needs to be treated with “dignity and care.”
In short, those experiences have helped in her role as director of Rachel’s Table, a program of the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts, and they are not the only chapter from her past that she says has earned that distinction.
Indeed, Falk spent many years professionally as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, both here and abroad. And while her work administering Rachel’s Table might seem worlds removed from those vocations, the skill sets, and her many
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
IMPACT A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Photo by Leah Martin Photography
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Women of
Women of IMPACT A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
IMPACT
25