Joanne Batson of Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore wins national recognition
Joanne Batson, chief executive officer for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, was named the 2013 Network Leader of the Year at the Feeding America National Executive Directors’ Forum that took place last week in Nashville. The award is given to the year’s most outstanding leader among the 202 food banks across the nation that makes up the Feeding America network.
Judges selected Batson because of her and her food bank’s exceptional work over the past year. Among her accomplishments at the food bank, include:
• Engaging with new leaders within the Feeding America Network and her commitment to the network and the mission of working together to end hunger through encouraging participation in events like Hunger Action Month (HAM)
• Turning the food bank into a thriving nonprofit in her community with a healthy reserve
• Helping to close the meal gap in her community “
Joanne embodies the idea that it takes many hands and minds to achieve our mission of eliminating hunger,” says Bob Aiken, president and CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s lead- Bob Aiken and Network Leader ing anti-hunger organization.