Page 26 - BusinessWest October 31, 2022

experiences in those roles, dovetail nicely with her current assignment. In many ways, they inspired it.
“For several of those years, besides working
in the professional arts world, I also taught and choreographed in the community dance and arts world, where I worked with various populations, such as young teen moms or young women who
“We live in a world where we sometimes we don’t see the ‘other,’ if you will. How do we learn to live to live together in a much bigger society, a much broader world? We don’t know each other’s story until we really
know each other’s story.” were incarcerated and in treatment centers, elders
in nursing homes, people in recovery, families in foster-care communities, and more,” she explained.
“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.”
With that, she referenced not only why she took on this new career challenge, but how dance and choreography have made her a better administrator and problem solver. And, in some ways, they help explain why she is a Woman of Impact.
To gain more perspective
on why Falk has earned this
honor, we need to look at all
that she has accomplished
since taking the helm at
Rachel’s Table in 2019. In
short, she has taken the
agency “to a new level of food
rescue for our very needy
community,” said Judy Yaffe,
vice president of the advisory
board for Rachel’s Table, in nominating Falk as a Woman of Impact.
And she has done this through many new initiatives, including:
• A broadening of the agency’s reach; in the past, it has served only Hampden County, but has expanded into Hampshire and Franklin counties;
• A new program called Growing Gardens, an offshoot of the agency’s gleaning program, whereby constituents focus on growing and harvesting their own food;
• A new partnership with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts to pick up food from Big Y stores and other large donors;
A gleaning program is one of many new initiatives launched by Jodi Falk since she took the helm at Rachel’s Table in 2019.
• A new, fully refrigerated van that will enable the agency to deliver larger quantities of food throughout the year;
• Steps that have enabled Rachel’s Table to rescue 50% more healthy produce, meat, milk, and prepared foods for the more than 50 agencies it serves;
• Upgrades to the volunteer-management program; and
• A significant increase in the number of grants
26 OCTOBER 31, 2022
om
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST Women of
Women of IMPACT BusinessWest IMPACT A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
WOMEN
· Wide Range of Commercial Services & Products
· Local Decisions
· Branchless Banking
· Investing1, Succession, Financial Planning
en of
Commercial Lending
Our lenders bring big bank resources and small bank attention to Pioneer Valley. Learn how we help businesses of all sizes, and owners of all backgrounds.
Jim Hickson, SVP, Regional President 413.523.7920
berkshirebank.com/Business
Big Bank Resources, Small Bank Attention W
Women of IMPACT
IMPACT
Banking products are provided by Berkshire Bank: Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
1Investment products are NOT FDIC-INSURED, are NOT A BANK DEPOSIT, NOT GUARANTEED BY THE BANK, NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY and MAY LOSE VALUE. Rev. 10/22
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST