b'Leadership MessageDear Friends and Supporters,This year we distributed more healthy food than ever before. This was nearly 62 million pounds, or the equivalent of more than 51 healthy million meals. Fresh produce was 19.6 million pounds. Nearly two-thirds of our distribution was either produce, protein or dairy itemsthe food that is often too expensive for the people we serve, but the food they need most to stay healthy.We could not have achieved this without you, our partner agencies, our volunteers, our food and financial donors, and our network of public and private collaborators. In 2018, we reached nearly 100 percent of our goal to provide One Meal A Day to all those in need. Beginning this year, we set a new goal to ensure that every hungry person in Eastern Massachusetts has access to enough healthy food for Three Meals A Day. This goal lays the foundation of our new strategic plan to create a Hunger-Free Eastern Massachusetts by 2028. Our path to Hunger Free will be built around three key components: increasing access to nutritious food, expanding research and policy initiatives, and building network capacity. It was a critical year full of new investments to support the new strategic plan. The first was embracing a more robust nutrition measurement system called Supporting Wellness at Pantries, or SWAP. This system assures we are providing the most nutritious food possible to the people we serve.Second, we added new Team Members and resources to Health and Research to include an epidemiologist and research associate. And lastly, we upgraded our warehouse inventory and management systems, the largest capital improvement project since we built our current facility 10 years ago. Each action taken this past year was an investment in a Hunger-Free future for all we serve. In Eastern Massachusetts, 1 in 11 people is food insecure. One in 9 is a child. In these uncertain times, our work requires collaboration and commitment. We will need your continued support and dedication to achieve Hunger Free by 2028. We achieved One Meal A Day, now we will work to provide Three Meals A Day for everyone.On behalf of all of us at GBFB, thank you for standing with us and supporting our mission. Together, we can end hunger here. Sincerely,Catherine DAmatoWoody BradfordPresident and CEOBoard Chair1 THE GREATER BOSTON FOOD BANK 2018 ANNUAL REPORT'