Project Bread Welcomes Sonya Khan to New Advisory Council

ARLINGTON, Mass. – Project Bread, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization spearheading Massachusetts’ COVID-19 hunger relief efforts, is pleased to welcome Sonya Khan, Director of Clinical Services at Lowell Community Health Center, to the nonprofit’s new Advisory Council.

Project Bread’s Advisory Council, separate from the nonprofit’s Board of Directors, is a group of professionals who will leverage their personal and professional networks to increase the organizations impact and reach. As an inaugural Advisory Council member, Khan will serve as an ambassador and fundraiser for the nonprofit, helping to provide counsel to Project Bread CEO Erin McAleer on key strategic issues and policy matters.

“Project Bread’s pursuit of bold, systemic solutions to the problem of hunger will benefit greatly from the leadership and passion of our new Advisory Council,” says McAleer. “Members bring a variety of perspectives and experiences that ensure a fresh perspective on ways to further our mission. I’m so grateful for these new relationships built on the desire to end hunger in Massachusetts. It’s precisely this combination of leadership, passion, and a real desire to solve hunger that we chose Sonya to help us continue to fulfill our mission.”

Khan, 39, of Arlington, brings nearly a decade of public health, policy and political experience. At Lowell Community Health Center, she oversees policy, project management and operations for the Clinical Services Department. Her previous experience working alongside McAleer in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services at the Massachusetts State House helped foster a deeper understanding of the system-level changes to eradicate hunger. Khan holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Georgetown University and a Master of Public Health in Health Law from Boston University School of Public Health.

“Food insecurity is so pervasive and also so insidious – the perceived stigma of food insecurity can be such a barrier to getting help – and I love that Project Bread is so mindful of all the different ways this can come between people and the sustenance they need,” says Khan, who in a previous role worked to ensure that children have access to nutritional foods while in school, which is especially important given some children’s only meal is the one they receive at school. “Getting an inside look at the work Project Bread is doing, spreading the word, and contributing however I can – I feel lucky to have the opportunity to help.”

While there is no governing function of this group, members commit to giving a minimum annual contribution of $2,500, raised through individual donations, peer-to-peer fundraising through Project Bread’s annual Walk for Hunger and securing financial support from existing and new corporate and philanthropic partners, and work to ensure Project Bread is able to help get food in the hands of as many people in need as possible across the state.

Khan joins 11 additional members of Project Bread’s inaugural Advisory Council, including: Saadia Ali, a political science major at Boston University and aspiring law student, Becky Epstein, Chair of Corporate Charitable Giving Odysseys Unlimited, Gary Evee, Founder and CEO Evee Consulting Group, Meg Meaney, Vice President of Marketing Operations at Acoustic, LLC, Meaghan Switzer, Assurance Senior Manager at RSM US LLP, Graham Gardner, Co-founder and CEO Kyruus, Heather Trafton, Chief Operating Officer at MassAdvantage , Hannah Grove, a Fortune 500 C-suite Executive, Clare Reilly, Co-Founder Women SOAR Giving Circle, and Aisha James, Primary Care Physician Mass General Hospital.

People experiencing food insecurity should call into Project Bread’s toll-free FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333), which provides confidential assistance to connect with food resources, including SNAP benefits, in 180 languages and for the hearing impaired. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org/get-help.

About Project Bread

Project Bread is the leading statewide anti-hunger organization in Massachusetts. Beginning in 1969 with the first Walk for Hunger, the nonprofit focuses on driving systemic change to ensure people of all ages have reliable access to healthy food. Project Bread works collaboratively across sectors to create innovative solutions to end hunger and improve lives across the Commonwealth. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

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