Our Mission
To help the people of East Providence and neighboring communities bridge the gap between their needs and means by providing access to healthy food.
Our Values
We believe that access to food is a human right.
We believe in the importance of building community.
We treat all people with respect and dignity.
We aim to maximize our guests’ ability to choose what food they need and how they access it.
We make no judgments of people.
We believe the role of volunteer is a rewarding expression of caring and community open to all.
We rely on the power of volunteers to achieve our mission and to increase our ability to serve the community.
Our Impact on the Community
In 2023 we served 13,740 meals in our community kitchen. Through the pantry, we fed 1760 individuals from 700 households. The pantry had 4061 visits, including 277 new families.
Who Are Good Neighbors?
Kate Mushipi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kate grew up in East Providence and was thrilled to become Good Neighbors' Executive Director in June 2022. An alumna of Rhode Island College, she worked in business management for several years until she moved to Eswatini (FMA Swaziland), where she served in the Peace Corps for 3.5 years and then worked at a community-based nonprofit for an additional 3 years. Her volunteer and work experience there included grant writing; leading and managing school- and community-driven projects; providing educational and career guidance for local youth; managing an entrepreneurship program for adults; and fundraising. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her organization also distributed food in the community, which is when her passion for providing basic needs to the community blossomed. Kate moved back to her hometown with her husband and their son in 2021, taking her non-profit journey full-circle right back home. Kate can be contacted directly at kmushipi@goodneighborsri.org.
Cassie
PROGRAM MANAGER
Cassie grew up in Fall River Massachusetts and was thrilled to become Good Neighbors' Program Manager in February 2023. She is an alumna of UMASS Dartmouth. She has worked in social services and has held supervisory positions for the last six years. When she is not working at Good Neighbors, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, Javier and Samuel. Cassie can be contacted directly at coloaya@goodneighborsri.org
Hilda
PROGRAM SUPPORT SPECIALIST
Before joining our staff in Jan 2024, Hilda volunteered at Good Neighbors every day since we re-opened our dining room in June of 2022. Hilda feels strongly about the importance of making sure no one in our community goes hungry.
Our Board of Directors
Stephen Higgins
PRESIDENT
Omnicell
Former Senior Director of Sales
Hugh Campbell
VICE PRESIDENT
Former Supply Chain Professional
Robin Covington
East Bay Community Action Program
Sr. Director of Healthy Aging
Joyce Leven
TriCounty Community Action
Family Service Care Coordinator
Sheila Palmer
TREASURER
189 Development, LLC
Operations Manager
Rebecca Book
SECRETARY
Coastal1 Credit Union
Former SVP/Compliance Officer
Jill Woodcome
Bristol Community College
Senior Director, Human Resources
Insa Wood
Dassault Systemes
User Experience Director
Our Volunteers
Good Neighbors is a volunteer-driven organization. We simply couldn't do this work without the dedication of our many wonderful volunteers! Visit the form below to let us know how you might be able to help us with our mission.