One of Seana Weaver's earliest memories is scooping dry green lentils onto a scale. Her mother volunteered for a food co-op in rural northeastern Connecticut, calling in bulk orders so neighbors could get food the local grocery store didn't carry. Seana's career has looped through Seattle, restaurant kitchens, Food Bank for New York City and Fresh Truck in Boston, but it keeps coming back to that same idea. Food is how you build relationships.
In March 2026 she returned to Worcester County Food Bank as CEO, after serving there as agency relations manager through the pandemic. In this episode of The PR Bunker Podcast, Seana explains what a food bank actually does, why getting food to people is only half the mission, and what she's seeing at the warehouse door that worries her.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
The first is logistics. Worcester County Food Bank warehouses food and moves it out to about a hundred partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs across all of central Massachusetts, from Webster and Southbridge up to Fitchburg and Athol. The second job is harder. The mission is to end hunger, not just to feed people today, so a lot of Seana's week is spent with legislators, healthcare leaders and community partners talking about SNAP and the policy that keeps people from needing a pantry in the first place.
The food bank sits on a hill off Route 9 because that's where the 18-wheelers can get in. It was never meant to be a walk-up service. Since Seana came back, two to five families a day have been showing up anyway. She describes a mother with three kids who couldn't stop apologizing after her partner lost his job and the benefits hadn't come through. Seana calls that an early indicator of a hunger crisis in Massachusetts, and the numbers from partner food banks in Boston and western Mass back her up.
After 25 years in the sector, Seana's view is that a program that didn't solve the problem still taught you something. One example: people are calmer and absorb more resources when they have choice in the pantry line. That lesson now shapes how partner agencies operate.
Seana's ask is simple. Volunteer at your local pantry, donate at foodbank.org, and sign on with the Make Hunger History coalition so your legislators know this matters to you.
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What area does Worcester County Food Bank serve?
All of Worcester County, which covers central Massachusetts from the Connecticut line to the New Hampshire border. It supplies about a hundred partner food pantries and meal programs rather than distributing directly to households.
What is Hunger Action Month?
A September campaign run through Feeding America and its member food banks that encourages people to volunteer, donate and advocate for policies that reduce food insecurity. Worcester County Food Bank is a Feeding America member.
How can a business help a food bank?
Corporate groups of about ten can volunteer to repack food, sponsor events like the November turkey drive, or make financial gifts that cover trucks, staff and warehouse costs, which are the expenses food donations alone can't address.
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