Lens on Leadership: With Nancy Freed

June 23, 2022 Updated: January 23, 2024

From our Board of Directors to our Culinary Board, Friends Advisory Board, and Community Advisory Boards, we’re fortunate to have many incredible people among our lot. They lend their personal and professional experience in different ways to inform our work, make connections, and grow support for Spoonfuls. Every month, we introduce you to one of them!

This month, it’s Nancy Freed, Member of Lovin’ Spoonfuls’ Board of Directors and Partner at Prince Lobel Tye LLP.

How did you first get introduced to Lovin’ Spoonfuls?

I was first introduced to Lovin’ Spoonfuls by the Founder and Executive Director, Ashley Stanley, who I have known for many years. After personally supporting Spoonfuls and engaging Prince Lobel (the law firm where I am a Partner) in fundraising initiatives for the organization, I was asked to join the Board of Directors in 2019.

Why is it important to you to support Lovin’ Spoonfuls?

We live in a world of such abundance, and it is inexcusable for people, whether in this city, region, or nation, to experience food insecurity. The mission of Lovin’ Spoonfuls directly addresses that issue – finding excess food and providing to those in need. I was very impressed with their, now our, model and wanted to support it. 

I became more knowledgeable and impressed after I joined the Board. Seeing and hearing directly from the team about the day-to-day operations of food rescue. We just celebrated rescuing our 25th millionth pound of food. It’s just remarkable.

It’s important to me to support and mentor women in leadership roles, too. Being not only the first female equity partner at my firm but the first woman on the firm’s management committee has inspired a deep commitment in me to the advancement of women in the workplace – and the fact that the entire Senior Leadership team at Spoonfuls is female is incredibly important.

How have you involved either your home life or professional life in Lovin’ Spoonfuls’ work?

Before I joined the Board, our firm started supporting Lovin’ Spoonfuls by conducting an annual fundraising campaign during the holidays. Between Thanksgiving and the New Year, we ask our employees to consider donating to the organization, and for every donation received, the partners of our firm match them, dollar for dollar. Over the years, Prince Lobel and our employees have contributed enough funds to rescue and distribute more than 150,000 pounds of food to Lovin’ Spoonfuls partners. (More to come on that story later this year!)

Knowing that this goes on to impact thousands of individuals, especially during the holidays, inspires us to continue this effort year after year.

What are ways that you work to waste less food, either at home or in the workplace?

Together my husband and I have five boys (all now grown), so over the years, we wasted very little. Now, I make sure to shop smarter and, if possible, fill my home with people who will help consume what we have. After all, food is love!

Learn more about our Board of Directors.

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