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

IIn 2024 we served 18,133 hot meals from our community kitchen. Through the pantry, we provided food for 4,181 individuals from 1,350 households.

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.

Erica Harris
PROGRAM MANAGER

Erica grew up in East Providence and still resides in her hometown with her family. The majority of Erica's career has been in healthcare management and business management. Her love for cooking and caring for the community brought her to Good Neighbors. To be able to serve the community, cook for others and help people in need has been a passion of hers for many years. She joined Good Neighbors as the Program Manager in February 2025 and is excited to be an integral part of our community.

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.

Board of Directors

Hugh Campbell
VICE PRESIDENT

Former Supply Chain Professional

Insa Wood
PRESIDENT

Dassault Systemes
User Experience Director

Sheila Palmer
TREASURER

189 Development, LLC
Operations Manager

Rebecca Book
SECRETARY

Coastal1 Credit Union
Former SVP/Compliance Officer

Emily Gove

Research Manager
My-Take, LLC

Robin Covington

RI Coalition for Elder Justice
Coalition 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.