Our Mission
To help the people of East Providence and neighboring communities bridge the gap between their needs and means by providing access to healthy food.
Our Values
We believe that access to food is a human right.
We believe in the importance of building community.
We treat all people with respect and dignity.
We aim to maximize our guests’ ability to choose what food they need and how they access it.
We make no judgments of people.
We believe the role of volunteer is a rewarding expression of caring and community open to all.
We rely on the power of volunteers to achieve our mission and to increase our ability to serve the community.
Our Impact on the Community
In 2025, we cooked and served or delivered 28,457 hot meals from our community kitchen. Through the pantry, we provided food for 4,838 individuals from 1,567 households. These groceries provided enough food for 160,755 meals! See our 2024 Impact Report for the story behind these numbers.
Who Are Good Neighbors?
Kate Mushipi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Kate grew up in East Providence and was thrilled to become Good Neighbors' Executive Director in June 2022. An alumna of Rhode Island College, she worked in business management for several years until she moved to Eswatini (FMA Swaziland), where she served in the Peace Corps for 3.5 years and then worked at a community-based nonprofit for an additional 3 years. Her volunteer and work experience there included grant writing; leading and managing school- and community-driven projects; providing educational and career guidance for local youth; managing an entrepreneurship program for adults; and fundraising. During the COVID-19 pandemic, her organization also distributed food in the community, which is when her passion for providing basic needs to the community blossomed. Kate moved back to her hometown with her husband and their son in 2021, taking her non-profit journey full-circle right back home. Kate can be contacted directly at kmushipi@goodneighborsri.org.
Erica Harris
COMMUNITY KITCHEN MANAGER
Erica grew up in East Providence and still resides in her hometown with her family. The majority of Erica's career has been in healthcare management and business management. Her love for cooking and caring for the community brought her to Good Neighbors. To be able to serve the community, cook for others and help people in need has been a passion of hers for many years. She joined Good Neighbors as the Program Manager in February 2025 and is excited to be an integral part of our community.
Hilda Troche
FACILITIES COORDINATOR
Before joining our staff in Jan 2024, Hilda volunteered at Good Neighbors every day since we re-opened our dining room in June of 2022. Hilda feels strongly about the importance of making sure no one in our community goes hungry.
Lily Clark
FOOD PANTRY MANAGER
Lily was born and raised in Rhode Island and went to college in Vermont, where she met her husband, Cameron. They moved to East Providence in 2019 and are grateful to be raising their 2.5 year old son in such a loving & vibrant community.
Lily’s career background is in marketing and project management. In 2025, a layoff created an unexpected pause—and an opportunity for a career change. She began volunteering in the kitchen in late fall of that year and, when the Food Pantry Manager position became available, she tossed her hat in the ring. She likes to say she volunteered herself so hard into a job.
Lily brings a zest for life, a quippy joke, and a label maker to work with her each day. She’s thrilled to be here—and since Kate bought her a dust buster, she’s basically here for life.
Board of Directors
Kristen Botelho Pires
AAA Northeast
VP Total Rewards, Systems & Employee Health & Safety
Robin Covington
RI Coalition for Elder Justice
Coalition Director
Emily Gove
My-Take, LLC
Research Manager
Sam Lovett
Newman Congregational Church
Senior Minister
Hugh Campbell
VICE PRESIDENT
Former Supply Chain Professional
Insa Wood
PRESIDENT
Dassault Systemes
User Experience Director
Sheila Palmer
TREASURER
189 Development, LLC
Operations Manager
Rebecca Book
SECRETARY
Coastal1 Credit Union
Former SVP/Compliance Officer
Our Volunteers
Good Neighbors is a volunteer-driven organization. We simply couldn't do this work without the dedication of our many wonderful volunteers! Visit the form below to let us know how you might be able to help us with our mission.