Kimberly Patch
President
Kimberly is a founder of the organization and has lived in Auburn, NY for 15 years with her husband Chris and three children. She graduated from Northeastern Seminary with her M.Div. w/ a concentration in Social Justice. She works as a mediator and case manager with another local nonprofit agency. She has years of experience in management, healthcare (radiation therapy) and working with nonprofit organizations in different capacities. She served as the Cayuga County Homeless Housing Coordinator for four years. This position ignited a passion for social justice for all people regardless of economic status. She believes that everyone deserves food and they deserve that food with dignity.
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Jennifer Thomas
Treasurer/Secretary
Jennifer Thomas will serve as the Treasurer. She will also serve as Secretary until the secretary position is filled. Thomas brings 30+ years of accounting experience to her new role. Jennifer has held various accounting positions, mostly in a managerial or a supervisory role, throughout her career. Her financial experience includes working in the banking, healthcare, legal, and manufacturing industries. Thomas spent most of her career working in the private legal sector, for law firms in New York. She is originally from North Carolina, moving to New York in 1998. Thomas moved to Auburn in 2011; she fell in love with this city and its community, and made it her permanent home. Jennifer believes strongly in the AHTF’s mission and is eager to use her talents to serve her community. Having experienced food insecurity at several points during her life, she believes food is a right for all, not a privilege.
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Vin Gleason
Director of Marketing
Vincent Gleason, MBA will serve as the Director of Marketing. Gleason has worked as Director of Marketing roles at Fingerlakes Mall, DCS of New York and Lavish Lounge. Gleason has been a leader in community activities for over 25 years. He was the Executive Director at TheRun4Life, in which he won numerous grants for our area. He also hosted over 2500+ community events during that tenure. Gleason won numerous awards while directing TheRun4Life, Inc. A Guidestar Gold Award Winner for 4 years, as being one of the nations 100% transparent companies. He brought numerous grants to Cayuga County, including a 25k grant for children’s health back in 2011. He has also won many awards in marketing in his career.Gleason was quoted as saying, “I want to not only make a difference, but I want to bring transparency to that difference. I am honored to be chosen and I hope that I can bring positive change. I remember when my wife, my team and myself would host an annual Thanksgiving dinner. People remembered those events and no one left hungry. That is the feeling I want to keep!”
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Christopher Patch
Consultant and Kitchen Manager
Christopher Patch is husband to the organization’s founder and president, Kimberly Patch. He received his Master’s degree from Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester NY. Chris has over 20 years experience in corporate restaurant management and training. He is currently the Family and Youth Ministry Coordinator at Westminster Presbyterian Church and he is also an adjunct faculty member at Hellenic American University in their MBA program. After Chris left the world of restaurant management and consulting, he was Director of IT and Business Education at TechMarket Training in Nashua, NH, USA and an adjunct professor for Manchester Community College and John Mason Institute. He has extensive experience in IT management, strategic planning, and predictive and adaptive management methodologies and has been active in the field of training, consulting and education development for the past 15 years. And before you ask, no, he does not want to be our secretary.