Our Staff

Jodi Falk (she/her) joined the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts as director of the Rachel’s Table (RT) program in 2019 and, due to RT’s growth, has led the transition of RT to its own nonprofit entity in 2023. Over the past four years, Jodi has tripled the service area of food rescue, exponentially increased the amount and variety of food served, and with advisory support and focus digitized RT’s operations for maximum impact. Along with 300+ committed volunteers and a…

Kathy (she/her) brings over a decade of administrative and operational experience in food insecurity to Rachel’s Table. Prior to joining the organization, Kathy was the Administrator of St. John’s/Friend’s Place Food Pantry in Springfield’s Mason Square community. In this role, her responsibilities were to oversee the volunteers, service families in need, order and maintain inventory, and report statistics and demographics to the Food Bank of Western Mass. Since joining RTWM in the Fall of 2023, Kathy has further refined operational protocols…

Cara (she/her) comes to Rachel’s Table with two decades of experience in secular and Jewish land-based education and camp management, and as a learner and leader in the North American Jewish environmental movement. For her work in Western Mass, Cara received a Harold Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. At RTWM, she manages programs where our hands touch the earth, including Bea’s Harvest (our Gleaning program), Growing Gardens, and collaborations with farmers. She finds power and wisdom in her…

Chana (she/her) joined Rachel’s Table in May of 2023, bringing many years of experience in office management and administration, with a focus on creative optimization and team building. She has supported Rachel’s Table in transitioning to an independent non-profit entity through her work in developing administrative policies and protocols, improving data management, and creating a functional and welcoming office space for our hard-working team of staff and volunteers. Chana brings valuable administrative experience from her previous work as a Quality Assurance…

Sarah Bate (she/her) joins Rachel’s Table as a partner for teen empowerment. As a former local and regional youth group advisor and a long time Jewish summer camp leader, she believes that youth are seeds to be sown for future bounty! As coordinator of Rachel’s Table Teen Board, she helps empower teens to impact food security in Western Massachusetts through service, education and advocacy. Sarah is a part-time student getting her Masters in Macro Social Work with interests in making systemic…

Jay’s three favorite things in world are to grow, cook, and eat food and he believes food should be a joy to everyone, no one should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, and wasted food is a shame. His road to Rachel’s Table has traversed experiences as a science teacher, park developer, landscaper, and organic vegetable grower and writer. He was Rachel’s Table’s Operations Manager from November 2021-December 2023 and is excited to use his…

Sarah (they/she) joined Rachel’s Table in July 2023 to help coordinate and grow the gleaning program. After moving to the area four years ago to work in immigration legal aid, Sarah spent two years supporting clients in accessing local resources while navigating their legal cases. Following that, Sarah spent time working in the local farm and food world. This role with Rachel’s Table utilizes knowledge and skills from both job worlds, and Sarah has enjoyed getting to dive into learning…

Ari (she/they) joined Rachel’s Table in November of 2024, with a passion for gardening, mapping, and community organizing. Her work with RTWM follows a year-long Watson Fellowship studying “Soundscapes of Childhood”. Living in rural communities in Tanzania, India, Nepal, Mongolia, Spain, Sweden, and Aotearoa (New Zealand), Ari created her own research project learning about the creative ways in which caregivers use song to raise the next generation with deep connections to the natural world. Ari graduated from Vassar College in…