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Spotlight on Board member Andrew Morehouse of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts

A partnership among two regional anchor nonprofits for greater collective impact

Andrew Morehouse is often out and about in the community, including at the recent Will Bike 4 Food event to benefit the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the organization that he has led as executive director since 2005. And while out and about, there’s a good chance he’s in the company of others, talking and listening.

“I’m attracted to people of diverse backgrounds,” said Morehouse, who grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and lives in Williamsburg. “If they ask me about the Food Bank, I’ll explain our two-fold mission, which is to provide food assistance to people when and where they need it, immediately. The other part is our commitment to ending hunger. And the way to end hunger is by addressing the causes. And one of the first causes that comes up, top of mind, is housing affordability.”

When Morehouse was invited to join Way Finders’ Board of Directors in 2023, he was excited by what such a partnership could represent—between two regional anchor nonprofits, both of which serve the four counties of western Massachusetts.

“I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to integrate and deepen our respective work in more actionable ways, because the nature of our work really complements each other. Housing and food insecurity, they’re both considered social detriments of health. And really, they’re causes of each other, and of so many other interrelated causes and effects,” said Morehouse, who serves on the Board’s Resource Development Committee. “What also intrigued me is that we have the same service area. This is a great intersection for collective action, collective impact, and we’re beginning to work on that together.”

One such effort toward making a collective impact is Way Finders’ HomeBASE Enhanced Stabilization pilot, which seeks to improve upon the state’s existing two-year program for families who are leaving emergency shelter or who would otherwise be experiencing homelessness. Launched in February 2024, a key part of the pilot is more frequent and responsive case management, especially during the first six months. If the pilot’s success can be effectively demonstrated, Way Finders will advocate to change state policy for the benefit of residents across the state.

“I’m particularly interested in this pilot because of its focus on creating longer and more durable housing stability for people who are transitioning out of homelessness. I see it as a great way to take a holistic, coordinated partnership to deepen our work to end hunger and homelessness,” said Morehouse, who studied at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, earning a master’s degree in economics and an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management. “I’m really impressed with Way Finders’ understanding of the complexities of the unhoused or people seeking housing assistance, and their incredible impact in responding to those complexities.”

The desire to take on complexities, specifically as they apply to people, is central to Morehouse’s career. So, too, is his commitment to social, economic, and political justice.

“I’ve always been interested in understanding how societies, cultures, nations, even organizations meet people’s basic needs. And particularly, I’ve been interested in food and agriculture for a long time,” said Morehouse, who ran a small nonprofit in Holyoke called Solutions Community Development Corporation from 1995 to 2005 that fostered asset-building strategies among low-income residents. “Something my father repeated to me over and over again, it lives with me every day. He’d always say, ‘We live in a world of contradictions, but don’t let that stop you from pursuing justice.’”

At the Food Bank—located since September 2023 at its new 60,000 square-foot facility in Chicopee—a typical day for Morehouse involves major donor cultivation and stewardship, organizational and strategic planning, and building community partnerships.

“We call our new facility our food warehouse, resource education and advocacy center, because much like Way Finders, we really look at our work very holistically and tackle immediate needs and long-term solutions to systemic barriers and injustices,” said Morehouse. “There has been a dramatic increase in food assistance, largely caused by high inflation last year.”

As Morehouse explained, higher prices for housing and other basic needs—food, transportation, childcare—have forced more people, including working families, to seek food assistance, surpassing demand even during the pandemic. The Food Bank provides nutritious food to an average of 115,000 people each month over the last 12 months.

“Bringing it down to a personal level, food is one basic need that people will scrimp on if their budget is tight. They’ll buy less expensive, less nutritious food,” said Morehouse. “That’s why we try to normalize the notion that being food insecure should not bring one shame. That’s why we’re here to provide that assistance.”

When asked what he hopes for, Morehouse has a ready answer.

“That’s an easy one. Ending hunger and homelessness,” said Morehouse. “I am proud to be on the Board and I give personally to Way Finders because I believe in its mission and its critical role as the premier housing assistance organization in western Massachusetts.”