Today, 4/1, is your last chance to pitch in through 401Gives! 1 in 3 RI households faces food insecurity, and the RI Food Bank serves 89,000+ neighbors every month. Give before 6 PM through our 401Gives page to help us earn bonuses: https://tinyurl.com/euhv3fx9

🎉 Today's the day! 🎉 401Gives is here, a time for giving back to the nonprofits that make our little state so special. This year, we can spread the love even more: 401Gives starts at 6 AM on March 31 (today!) and goes through 6 PM on April 1. tinyurl.com/euhv3fx9

Today at the Food Bank, @govdanmckee.bsky.social + legislative leaders helped assemble Meals4Kids boxes & highlight a proposed FY27 budget increase for the Food Bank. 1 in 3 RI households face food insecurity, and this investment helps us better ensure food security across the state.

401Gives starts at 6 AM on 3/31! The first $20K donated to the Food Bank will be matched dollar-for-dollar. Set your alarm and give early for twice the impact. ⏰ tinyurl.com/euhv3fx9

"We now see ourselves as sort of the safety net of the federal safety net. And I wish I could tell you that we're able to keep up, but we're not," CEO Melissa Cherney to @iandonnis.bsky.social / @oceanstatemedia.bsky.social. Watch: tinyurl.com/mv28rzz3

RICFB CEO Melissa Cherney will present at the 29th annual Bryant University Women's Summit on March 19! Her session, "Lighting the Way: Values that Spark Change," draws on nearly two decades in hunger relief, advocacy, and government. The summit is sold out, but stay tuned for takeaways!

Every week, food moves from our warehouse to 137 member agencies across the state: chicken, soups, beans, fresh produce & more. 🚚🥫 Read the full story: tinyurl.com/29cpustd

This week our advocacy took us to DC 🛫 RI Community Food Bank CEO Melissa Cherney joined @feedingamerica.org’s annual fly-in - one of the largest ever -alongside ~300 food banks to champion hunger-relief policies. Thank you @amo.house.gov for your partnership in support of our neighbors. 🤝

⏰ Pre-sale for Empty Bowls, presented by Stop & Shop, ends MONDAY, March 2: save $10 before prices increase! Join us 3/31, 6-8:30PM at the @waterfireprov.bsky.social Arts Center for unlimited tastings from 30 local eateries + a handcrafted bowl to take home. 🎟️ tinyurl.com/4jbpfp7p

Cold snap this weekend ❄️ Our Community Outreach team created a free, bilingual (EN/ES) cold weather guide with trusted safety nets, resources, and more. Community members & partners are encouraged to use and share: tinyurl.com/y9wdkk3k

Congrats to our Chief Philanthropy Officer, Dana DiMarco, on joining the RI School Recycling Project's Board! A former volunteer with 25+ years in mission-driven leadership, she's a champion for sustainability & Rhode Islanders experiencing food insecurity.

Please join us in congratulating CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, Melissa Cherney, on her appointment as Chair of @feedingamerica.org's Policy Engagement and Advocacy Committee (PEAC)! Read the full statement on our website: tinyurl.com/5ynmf8c5

Happy Valentine's Day from the RI Community Food Bank 💗

We're #hiring! 🍎 Join our team at the RI Community Food Bank: we're accepting applications for an Accounts Payable Coordinator. Join an organization where you can make a real impact! Interested? Learn more and apply: tinyurl.com/33279u7j

From the desk of CEO Melissa Cherney: 💭 It's been 6 months since I took the helm at the RI Community Food Bank. Read my reflections on our website: tinyurl.com/3dp7x4kd

Save the date for one of Rhode Island's favorite nights of food + community 🍲 Join the RI Community Food Bank for Empty Bowls on Tues., March 31, 6–8:30 PM at the @waterfireprov.bsky.social Arts Center. Presented by Stop & Shop! 🎟️ Tickets on sale 2/16: tinyurl.com/4jbpfp7p

🏈 The Souper Bowl of Caring, our annual telethon with @nbc10wjar.bsky.social, is back Feb. 8, and support is needed now more than ever. 🥣 Tune in for Food Bank stories + live updates, call in to donate, or give online to help us reach our goal. However you watch, you can help!

The RI Food Bank released its 2025 Status Report on Hunger, an annual collaboration with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI & @brownpublichealth.bsky.social. Findings show unprecedented need for food assistance & growing strain on the charitable food system amid federal impacts: tinyurl.com/dnuwmm2m

Yesterday, advocates, partners, & legislators gathered at the RI State House for Food Insecurity Day. Thank you @amo.house.gov;@joeshekarchi.bsky.social; @sabinamatos.bsky.social; Kim Brito, RI DHS; Erin Spaulding, CCF; Rep. Scott Slater; & @mackdistrict6.bsky.social for your leadership & support.

On Tuesday, Senator @mackdistrict6.bsky.social took part in the @rifoodbank.bsky.social's Food Insecurity Awareness Day event in the State House Library. Watch: capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11686

A new report by @rifoodbank.bsky.social and #BrownSPH researchers found that, even before the federal shutdown's impact on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 1 in 3 families across the Ocean State was experiencing food insecurity. rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/01/27/f...

It's Rhode Island Food Insecurity Awareness Day! We're releasing our latest Status Report on Hunger and gathering at the State House to show support for hunger action in the Ocean State. 🗓️ TODAY, Tues, Jan 27 ⏰ 3 PM 📍 RI State House, State House Library

The Rhode Island Community Food Bank thanks @govdanmckee.bsky.social for proposing a $2M investment in the Food Bank in the FY27 state budget. As 1 in 3 Rhode Island families struggle to put food on the table, this commitment is deeply appreciated. Read more: tinyurl.com/2vu623mk

⚠️ 1 in 3 Rhode Island households are food insecure. As demand reaches historic highs, the need for action has never been greater. Join us Jan 27 at 3 PM at the RI State House for Food Insecurity Awareness Day. Make your voice heard: tinyurl.com/3fddrjaw

Demand for emergency food assistance reached historic highs in 2025, and with federal cuts ahead, the need will only grow. As we plan for unprecedented hunger and uncertainty, @govdanmckee.bsky.social's commitment to the Food Bank and our member agencies is critical and deeply appreciated.

When neighbors face barriers to SNAP, connection and guidance matter. In FY25, our SNAP Outreach team helped 1,470+ households access over $1.1M in benefits. Read this story and more in our FY2025 Annual Report: tinyurl.com/by9tk8r9

From all of us here at the RI Community Food Bank, happy holidays! ❄️🎄 Thank you for your partnership and generosity throughout the past year, and for embracing our CEO, Melissa Cherney, as a new Rhode Islander. However you celebrate, we hope it's warm, happy, and healthy.

Introducing the RI Food Bank's first Holiday Gift Guide! 💝 Shopping small, supporting nonprofits we love, and buying secondhand make the season more meaningful, and our dollars become votes for a more interconnected, just, sustainable community. tinyurl.com/4bm69hyn

The 12th Annual Holiday Benefit Cover Show from Check Yourself Productions is back, and we're honored to be this year's beneficiary! 🎶 Join us Saturday, Dec 13 at The Parlour in PVD (18+). $15 cover or $20 w/ raffle entry. Great local talent + prizes: all for a great cause. tinyurl.com/3s6fzbrk

Rosy works full-time and picks up extra work, but reduced hours and rising grocery costs make it hard to keep up. At the West End Community Center, she told us, "Prices are going up, but my salary is still the same." The pantry helps her feed her 3 kids each month.

🍕Pizza Marvin's 12 Pies of Christmas kicks off Sunday 12/7 and we're honored to be this year's beneficiary! Each chef-crafted pie celebrates RI's incredible food scene — and 100% of proceeds support neighbors experiencing food insecurity. 💚

The Food Bank is serving more Rhode Islanders than ever before. Your support helps ensure our neighbors have access to the healthy food they deserve. ➡️ Your #GivingTuesday gift goes twice as far today thanks to a $150,000 Matching Gift. Give today: tinyurl.com/bdh6h8fe

We're distributing healthy food to 137 member agencies statewide—pantries, meal sites, and senior programs. Hear from CEO Melissa Cherney and from Rhode Islanders accessing our services. 🍎 Your support makes a real difference. youtu.be/Um9oqUAgXBU

Cheers to outstanding staff & volunteers of Good Neighbors RI for putting together a delicious Thanksgiving feast! Great to join Mayor Bob DaSilva & @rifoodbank.bsky.social CEO Melissa Cherney to help serve up hot meals & a slice of community to neighbors in need.

Food Bank CEO Melissa Cherney spent Thanksgiving Eve serving lunch at Good Neighbors RI with @reed.senate.gov and East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva. 🦃 Her first Thanksgiving [Eve!] as a Rhode Islander was spent feeding neighbors alongside partners dedicated to ending hunger. 💚

NEWSMAKERS: @rifoodbank.bsky.social CEO Melissa Cherney joins @timwhiteri.bsky.social and me to discuss the record high 100,000 Rhode Islanders seeking food aid a month - even before the recent SNAP crisis Watch online now - tonight/Sunday on 12+ and TV - or get the pod www.wpri.com/news/newsmak...

Food Bank CEO, Melissa Cherney, recently joined @tednesi.bsky.social and @timwhiteri.bsky.social on @wpri12.bsky.social's Newsmakers to discuss food insecurity in RI, what we're seeing across our network, and how community support makes an impact. Watch: www.wpri.com/news/newsmak...

@antoniafarzan.bsky.social of the Providence Journal took the SNAP challenge—living on $6/day—just as SNAP benefits were cut off. "I was returning to my normal, privileged existence, while other people's lives were about to get measurably worse." tinyurl.com/bdh9mz29

Rhode Islanders are feeling the impacts of the shutdown and paused SNAP benefits, and the RI Community Food Bank is doing everything we can to help. Since late October, we've purchased nearly 1M lbs of food for distribution through our 137 member agencies statewide. 🚚

This year's @wpri12.bsky.social Day of Giving was our most successful in its 5yr history! @kimkalunian.bsky.social With matching funds from Washington Trust & Arpin International Group, we raised $233,651 total - funds that will put food on neighbors' tables this holiday season. 🍽️ Thank you.

🚨 TODAY, Thurs. Nov. 13, is @wpri12.bsky.social's Day of Giving to benefit the RI Community Food Bank! 🚨 Tune in anytime to WPRI 12 or visit their website — crews are broadcasting from our warehouse, encouraging generosity from every corner of RI. tinyurl.com/bddb7mj6

Thank you to our friends at Stop & Shop and Garelick Farms for their generous holiday support and year-round partnership! 🥛 Their donation of shelf-stable milk will be available to all of our member agencies.

We're grateful to Mayor Brett Smiley and the City of Providence for standing with the Food Bank and our neighbors during this critical moment. Thank you for visiting us last week to see the work happening firsthand, and for your continued support. Need food or want to help? rifoodbank.org/shutdown

"'How can the Food Bank fill the gap?' We can't," writes RI Community Food Bank CEO Melissa Cherney in today's Providence Journal op-ed. "We don't have enough food or funds to replace the $29M in lost SNAP aid—or another $29M if the shutdown continues." Read more: tinyurl.com/9ex3kwtj

SNAP (food stamps) interruption: @govdanmckee.bsky.social declares state of emergency, mobilizing RI agencies and community organizations to get food to those in need. @peterneronha.bsky.social joins multi-state lawsuit. @rifoodbank.bsky.social deploys resources. motifri.com/snap-emergen...

With SNAP funding halted by the federal shutdown, @govdanmckee.bsky.social declared a State of Emergency + will deploy $6mil in TANF funds to help families with children. It's a crucial step—but many others will still lose food assistance when benefits do not deploy on Nov. 1.

🚨 SNAP BENEFITS HALTED 🚨 Because of the federal government shutdown, SNAP (food assistance) benefits for the month of November are on hold. (🧵) rifoodbank.org/shutdown/

With SNAP benefits set to end Nov. 1, @rifoodbank.bsky.social CEO Melissa Cherney says, "We are in a hunger crisis," and asks for donations to food bank and local food pantries.

As federal food assistance funding hangs in the balance, RI food pantries are bracing for an unprecedented surge in need. Good Neighbors RI & the MLK Center in Newport are already seeing increased need. (🧵) 🗞️ @rhodeislandcurrent.com 📝 @nancyklavin.bsky.social 🔗 tinyurl.com/wccpdka3

Federal shutdown will cut $29M in monthly food assistance benefits for 140,000 Rhode Islanders. By @nancyklavin.bsky.social rhodeislandcurrent.com/2025/10/22/r...