The Greater Boston Food Bank Launches the Takeda Center for Community Health and Nutrition 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Greater Boston Food Bank Launches the Takeda Center for Community Health and Nutrition 

  • The Takeda Center will expand on Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) and Takeda’s two-decade partnership founded on health and community impact. 
  • The Takeda Center was made possible by a four-year, $4 million grant from Takeda and is the largest-ever donation received by GBFB. 
  • As part of today’s announcement, GBFB’s Takeda Center awarded $1.1 million in Community Investment grants throughout Eastern Massachusetts that will be disseminated to 45 Agency Partners to expand services, staff, and capacity to deliver more nutritious food to their communities.

    BOSTON, MA (February 18, 2026) — Today, The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) announced the launch of the Takeda Center for Community Health and Nutrition to create greater access to nutritious and medically tailored food for communities throughout Eastern Massachusetts. The Takeda Center was made possible by a four-year, $4 million grant from Takeda, a biopharmaceutical company with a Global Hub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This largest-ever donation to the hunger-relief nonprofit builds on nearly two decades of partnership guided by a shared commitment to innovation, community impact, and understanding the critical connection between food and health.  

    The Takeda Center will expand on The Greater Boston Food Bank’s dedication to food as health by advancing four pillars of work:  

    • Growing access to nutritious, culturally responsive, and medically tailored food.  
    • Strengthening community-based and healthcare partnerships to address food insecurity. 
    • Elevating and conducting research to pursue data-driven hunger-relief strategies. 
    • Supporting investments in people and infrastructure to enhance local community impact and improved health outcomes. 

          The Takeda Center will manage dozens of Community Health Mobile Markets that deliver and expand access to fresh, nutritious produce directly to communities and children, veterans, and seniors who are at increased risk of food insecurity. It will oversee GBFB’s SNAP application assistance team that helps up to 1,000 families access food assistance every year. Additionally, the Takeda Center staff will include Mass General Brigham Chief of the AMC Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, who serves as the health and research advisor overseeing GBFB’s annual statewide food access study – a widely cited resource across Massachusetts – and two full-time registered dietitians who administer the nutrition policy and provide education to GBFB’s Agency Partners. 

          Capping today’s announcement, GBFB’s Takeda Center awarded $1.1 million in Community Investment grants throughout Eastern Massachusetts that will be disseminated to 45 Agency Partners to expand services, staff, and capacity to deliver more nutritious food to their communities. In partnership with the Commonwealth and philanthropists, GBFB has invested more than $22 million in expanding and strengthening the food distribution system.  

          “Creating lasting impact for patients and communities is part of our DNA, and can only be done through partnership,” says Rhonda Pacheco, President, U.S. Business Unit and U.S. Country Head at Takeda. “We value our long-term partnership with The Greater Boston Food Bank because we share the belief that health depends on access to nutritious and medically tailored food. With the launch of the Takeda Center, we’re looking forward to scaling impact by leveraging our shared purpose, mutual trust and innovation.”   

          Takeda has had a long-standing commitment to GBFB since 2005, with lifetime giving of over $2.4 million that included a four-year commitment to support GBFB’s Mobile Markets Program. Additionally, Takeda employees have contributed over 800 hours of service at GBFB’s warehouse since 2014 – helping pack and sort over 132,00 pounds of food, making 110,300 meals possible. 

          GBFB and Takeda’s groundbreaking announcement comes at a time when food insecurity is growing. At the same time, the cost of food and health care continues to rise, making it even harder for many Bay Staters to afford basic necessities. By launching the Takeda Center, GBFB and Takeda are demonstrating a pioneering and sustained commitment to addressing food insecurity, improving health outcomes, and enacting lasting impact in their communities.  

          GBFB President and CEO Catherine D’Amato, who recently announced her pending retirement after 30 years of leadership, said, “For GBFB and Takeda, ‘food is medicine’ is not a slogan—it’s a commitment to action. The Takeda Center will advance innovative, data- and community-informed solutions that uphold the dignity of every person and strengthen the health of every community. At a time when hunger is rising and federal assistance is declining this partnership signals that we are not looking back—we are driving solutions and our mission forward. I cannot imagine a more meaningful way to cap my tenure at The Greater Boston Food Bank than by launching the Takeda Center which will bring new solutions to persistent challenges.” 

          The Takeda Center will be led by GBFB’s inaugural Vice President of Community Health and Nutrition, Michele Fronk Schuckel, whose career spans more than three decades in public health, healthcare delivery, and leadership grounded in partnership and solidarity with communities. Fronk Schuckel joined GBFB in 2025 after serving in local and regional public health leadership, working alongside residents and local partners to address complex public health challenges. Her experience also includes leadership roles at Dana-Farber Community Cancer Care and Massachusetts General Hospital, positioning her to connect community health practice with the healthcare systems that shape access to the care and nutrition people need. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan, a Master of Business Administration from Babson College, and a Master of Public Health from Boston University. 

          “Throughout my career in public health, I’ve seen how deeply food access, nutrition, and health are connected—and how inequities in these systems affect people’s ability to access nutritious food and good health,” said Fronk Schuckel. “With the support of Takeda, GBFB’s Takeda Center for Community Health and Nutrition will bring together community partnerships, data, and public health approaches to drive meaningful, lasting change. I’m honored to lead this work and to stand with communities working toward better health and food security.” 

          GBFB has long recognized the connection between food and health. It is the first food bank nationwide to have a nutrition policy and to have a physician on staff. With a focus on acquiring and distributing healthy foods – produce, protein and dairy – and a data-informed approach, GBFB has transformed the role of food banks, as stewards of the health of the people they serve. GBFB is also a member of the statewide Food is Medicine Coalition. 

          About The Greater Boston Food Bank
          The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and one of the largest food banks in the country. For nearly half a century, GBFB has fueled Eastern Massachusetts’ hunger-relief system, putting over 90 million healthy meals on tables across the region each year. Over 600 community-based pantries and other local partners in 190 cities and towns depend on GBFB to provide access to healthy food for 600,000 people every month. GBFB is committed to the belief that access to healthy food is a human right regardless of an individual’s circumstances. Through policy, partnerships, and providing free, nutritious, and culturally responsive food, GBFB is committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity while promoting racial, gender and economic equity in food access. Together, we have the power to end hunger here. For more information and to help us help others, visit us at GBFB.org, follow us on Facebook, X (@gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200. 

          Media Contacts:
          Nate Hillyer
          The Castle Group
          nhillyer@thecastlegrp.com
          M 860.574.5507

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