Philanthropy | The Pathway to Ending Hunger: Keith Monda and Veronica Brady

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | Feature Photo by Nancy Guth | May 2022

Keith Monda and Veronica Brady are committed to helping end hunger. Their experiences separately and together have informed their work, raising resources and awareness about the issue in our region.  

When former President and COO of Coach Inc. Keith retired to Sarasota, he created a clear philanthropy plan because he didn’t want his efforts to be like spreading peanut butter. “So, I asked myself what are the things that are most important to me? It was children, education, and conservation.” Helping children quickly grew to a top-level interest. 

Former wealth advisor Veronica’s commitment to the community was evidenced throughout her community volunteer efforts and her time at both Gulf Coast Community Foundation and The Bay. Working together, Keith and Veronica helped implement programs to teach kids how to read, make sure they’re safe in a pool, and get support for those who suffer from mental illness. Keith explains that “there’s a whole plethora of things that all kind of weave together, but at the heart of it is this—if they don’t get fed, nothing else works.”

The idea of people going hungry had been on his mind for a long time. Years ago, as an economics student at The Ohio State University, a woman Keith knew pinned a note to his door that said: Can you help me out? I don’t have any money and my kids are hungry.

Keith saved that note. Decades later, it serves as a constant reminder of the obligation he feels to make sure people get fed. It’s sometimes hard to believe, but children in our community know food instability and hunger just like that Ohio woman’s family did. Nearly 50% of children in Sarasota County qualify for free or reduced school lunch, while over 90% of those in DeSoto County do as well—so many, in fact, that their school district is allowed to provide lunch to every child for free. 

When a study on childhood hunger revealed that fewer than 5% of local students who received free or reduced meals had access to nutritious food over the summer, Keith, Veronica (then with Gulf Coast) and All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank, co-founded the Campaign Against Summer Hunger.  

To engage donors, they devised a new strategy for funding the Campaign. “Investor-level” donors were asked to give a gift that could be replicated in future years. “We knew that the issue of summer hunger wasn’t going away,” says Veronica. “We wanted to be able to come back in following years to ask again.”  The cumulative of that support during a “quiet phase” of the Campaign became a matching challenge for the community.

That first year (2014) the goal was to raise one million dollars to feed 15,000 children, but they exceeded that by raising $1.2 million and reaching more kids. And the generosity and impact has continued. “One thing that I find particular gratifying,” Keith says about subsequent years of the Campaign, “is that the number of repeat donors is above 80%. That just tells you that people get it. They’re committed. We’re absolutely thrilled.”

In 2021, the goal was to reach $1.6 million to ensure that 35,000 children were fed over the summer. The Campaign is more than just fundraising, though. It’s more than just buying and distributing food or improving access to food and distribution infrastructure for at-risk children and their families. It’s also about raising awareness that there are thousands of children in our community who are at risk for hunger. “It’s not that people don’t care,” Keith says, “it’s more that there’s a lack of awareness and understanding.  We continue to try to make that change.”

While some might assume local food pantries are picking up the slack, regulations and restrictions make it hard for many to have their needs met. For example, at a federal funded Summer BreakSpot distribution site, you can’t take food offsite, and you can’t get food for others who aren’t physically there. As one way to overcome this challenge, All Faiths Food Bank creates “backpacks,” which are biodegradable plastic bags filled with kid-friendly food that people can swing by and take during the summer as needed. 

Some years ago, Keith and Veronica witnessed the success of the backpack program firsthand when they visited the RL Taylor Community Center. The director pointed out a perhaps-10-year-old boy who came in every morning and picked up an armful of backpacks to bring home to feed his five younger siblings. “I remember thinking about that impact,” Veronica says. “Summer hunger doesn’t just reach the school-aged children. It’s also about kids who are younger than school age, or even those who are older, including those who drop out to support their family. We really need to make sure that we’re catching all kids and meeting them where the need is.”

For years, Keith has continuously supported All Faiths by funding their facility expansion, programs, and staff positions. He was also a founding investor in All Faiths’ Food and Resource Center in DeSoto County, which seeks to address rural hunger. 

Keith has also sought to fight childhood hunger on a national level, too. Since 2012, he’s served as Chair on the Board of Directors of Feeding America, the national network of food banks to which All Faiths belongs. Their network of 200+ food banks feeds more than 40 million people each year through the efforts of food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and various other agencies. 

Though this summer is Keith’s final Board meeting, it doesn’t signal that his or Veronica’s commitment to fight hunger is over. “Food insecurity across the country is something we simply have to change,” he explains. “Ten years ago, at Feeding America, one of the mantras was ‘let’s shorten the [food] line.’ Now the conversation is ‘How do we end hunger?’”

Raising awareness and encouraging others to participate is at the heart of Keith and Veronica’s belief in how ending hunger is possible. As All Faith’s 2022 Campaign is well underway, they know, “Together we CAN make a difference.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION about All Faiths Food Bank, please visit www.allfaithsfoodbank.org or call 941.379.6333.