Dr. Melony Samuels, The Campaign Against Hunger’s (TCAH) CEO and Founder, is a humanitarian, visionary leader, and staunch advocate for food and health equity. She has dedicated her life’s work to improving the conditions of marginalized communities and strengthening New York City’s emergency food system. Dr. Samuels is a pioneer and nonprofit leader. She spearheaded the first farm-to-pantry distribution model in NYC and several transformative initiatives to advance healthy food access for communities that face food and nutrition insecurity. Well respected in all quarters, she is among NYC anti-hunger leaders and exhibits strength in nonprofit management, financial planning, cost management, strategic development, and project implementation.
Dr. Samuels has worked extensively to bring social change and racial justice to communities of color and low-income families through advocacy, philanthropy, and connecting and maximizing resources. Her most notable innovation was during the Covid pandemic when she revolutionized the food access service model in NYC by using 30,000 square feet of warehouse space in Brooklyn and Queens as food distribution centers to serve over 2 million New Yorkers in need. She also formed the Urban Healthy Food Coalition with currently 180 community advocates to tackle hunger and poverty in high-need areas. Her advocacy and leadership have resulted in funding a first-of-its-kind permanent community food hub to be created in Brooklyn using food access, education, and innovation in urban farming to break the systemic cycle of hunger and poverty in NYC.
She has ensured that TCAH’s operational infrastructure, on the food production, supply, and distribution side, is robust, well-tested, and financially sound. Today, TCAH is one of the city’s largest and most impactful nonprofits. She continues to lead with vision, grit, love, and compassion for those struggling to meet their basic needs.