Food for Thought

Alumna Fights Hunger through Philanthropy

By UNC Asheville

April 22^nd, 2020

By Shannon Dale

“The Greater Boston Food Bank has the option to leave a comment when you make your donation online. Since early March, we’ve been receiving hundreds of donations a day and many donors choose to leave a comment. They include simple thank yous, stories about why someone’s giving, really heartfelt dedications, and more. It’s encouraging to read these each day and to see how compassionate people can be at a time when things are uncertain for everyone,” shares 2016 UNC Asheville graduate, Devin Browning.

Currently located in Boston, Browning is living and working in the heart of one of the most intense COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S. She finds hope in the outpouring of support to the Greater Boston Food Bank, where she serves as a donor services associate. She is responsible for processing and acknowledging donations, and responding to donor inquiries. Through her role, she is one of the first to see these kind messages of hope from generous community members.

Her own passion for giving back to her community and providing hope to those in need grew during her time at UNC Asheville.

Browning majored in international studies and political science. In her free time, she volunteered with the MANNA Food Bank and saw firsthand the prevalence of hunger in Western North Carolina. Inspired by this experience, she participated in an internship with the Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council and wrote her political science senior thesis on food insecurity in the U.S.

One of her favorite classes that continues to influence her work is Professor Emeritus Dwight Mullen’s “Black Political Thought” course.

“Dr. Mullen’s class influenced me in several ways, but more than anything, it gave me a baseline for understanding structural racism in the U.S - how this drives poverty and how it impacts education and health,” explains Browning.

Through her coursework and hands-on experience, Browning wanted to continue to make a difference on families struggling with food insecurity. Upon graduating, she joined AmeriCorps, taking a position with Asheville City Schools.

“I loved this job and the families I worked with. I continued to see how hunger impacted our students with 40% of the student population approved for free or reduced lunch at that time,” shares Browning. “That programming made a real impact on improving student success in the classroom.”

Today, Browning is seeing the impact of hunger on an even greater scale through the Boston Food Bank, which serves 190 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts, has over 500 partner agencies, and hundreds of thousands of donors. Last year, they distributed more than 68.5 million pounds of food. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on the Boston-area, the Greater Boston Food Bank has been working extra hard to fill the growing demand for fresh food, distributing nearly 50% more food this March compared to last year.

They expect the demand to continue to rise.

From the apartment she shares with her boyfriend, Pixel the cat, and two other roommates, Browning sets up her workspace in her room or wherever she is able to find space. While it is a tight fit, she has been able to continue to support the Greater Boston Food Bank’s efforts from afar, responding to phone calls and emails from donors asking how they can help, directing companies on how to match gifts from their employees, helping donors set up online team fundraisers, and troubleshooting donation issues.

Her unique work with the Greater Boston Food Bank is vital to keep programming running smoothly.

“We’ve seen an incredible influx of donations, raising more than $9 million towards our response efforts in just a few weeks,” says Browning. “Our donor services team is working to keep revenue information as up-to-date as possible, so that other teams in the organization can maintain flexibility and continue operations uninterrupted as the Greater Boston Food Bank assists their frontline partner agencies to get healthy food to those in need.”

Her advice to those working from home?

“To get fresh air, I think. Even if you’re just sticking your head out the window, it really does help!”

In the fall, Browning is taking her UNC Asheville education and ample experience in nonprofit work with her to Brandeis University, where she will pursue a Master of Public Policy, concentrating in children, youth, and families.

As Browning’s story shows, food insecurity can be found all across the U.S., close to home here in Asheville, and even on UNC Asheville’s own campus. With 40% of university students across the country struggling with food insecurity, providing healthy food is vital to supporting our students at home and in the classroom. The Food Equity Initiative is an on-campus program dedicated to providing healthy food to students struggling with food insecurity. The program is now providing one-on-one support for students staying in the area who are struggling to find healthy food options they can afford while off-campus.

You can take action in support of UNC Asheville students today by making a gift in support of the Food Equity Initiative: unca.edu/Bulldogs

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