America's Second Harvest Honors Deborah Flateman for Service to Hungry Americans
Flateman Receives 2006 Dick Goebel Public Service Award
WASHINGTON ---February 26, 2007 --- America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network today awarded Deborah Flateman, CEO of the Maryland Food Bank, with the 2006 Dick Goebel Public Service Award for outstanding commitment to ending hunger in her community and across the country. Flateman accepted the award at the 2007 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, a gathering in Washington DC of more than 450 anti-hunger advocates, sponsored by America’s Second Harvest and the Food Research Action Center (FRAC).
“Deborah Flateman personifies the spirit of public and community service,” said Vicki Escarra, President and Chief Executive Officer of America’s Second Harvest. “Deborah has been an extraordinary leader for many years in efforts to end hunger in the Vermont, and now that she has taken over the reigns of the Maryland Food Bank, we know that she will continue to be a tireless advocate on behalf of national public policies that help low-income, needy individuals and families. Her enthusiasm, kindness and generosity are extraordinary assets to the America’s Second Harvest Network and hungry people nationwide.”
Deborah Flateman has recently taken over for Bill Ewing as CEO of the Maryland Food Bank. Flateman comes to the Maryland Food Bank with ten years of food banking experience and previously held the position of CEO of the Vermont Foodbank. At the Vermont Foodbank, Flateman managed a staff of 31 and a budget of $8.9 million. At the Maryland Food Bank, Flateman manages a staff of 55 employees and a budget of $22 million. The Maryland Food Bank serves 235,000 hungry Marylanders each year through its network of 1,000 charitable food providers.
The Dick Goebel Public Service Award was created in 2001 in honor of the Reverend Richard (Dick) Goebel for his many years of public service on behalf of hungry Americans. As founder and Executive Director of the Second Harvest St. Paul Food Bank in St. Paul, Minnesota (now Second Harvest Heartland), Dick’s dedicated service left a lasting legacy. Recipients of the Dick Goebel Public Service Award exemplify service to their communities, extensive public policy advocacy, and tireless enthusiasm and creativity in developing solutions to ending hunger both locally and nationally.
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America’s Second Harvest—The Nation’s Food Bank Network is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization, with a Network of more than 200 regional member food banks and food-rescue programs serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The America's Second Harvest Network secures and distributes nearly two billion pounds of donated food and grocery products annually. The America's Second Harvest Network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network provided food assistance to more than 25 million low-income hungry people in the United States, including more than nine million children and nearly three million seniors. For more on America's Second Harvest, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
Contact:
Maura Daly
Office: 312.641.6421
Cell: 301-943-3733
