Ginette Bott
CEO & President | Utah Food Bank
What emerging market trends or disruptions are you preparing your company for?
Hunger is increasingly shaped by forces beyond the traditional charitable food system. Rising housing costs, healthcare expenses and child care affordability all directly influence a family’s ability to afford food. As these pressures converge, food insecurity is becoming more chronic, more widespread and more deeply tied to systemic economic conditions. This will be particularly challenging later this year when changes to requirements for qualifying for government subsidized nutrition programs will abruptly upend many already fragile household budgets.
At Utah Food Bank, we are preparing for sustained, long-term demand rather than short-term surges. While the mission of Fighting Hunger Statewide will never change, I don’t seek for the organization to be bigger — I strive for it to be better. That commitment requires a fundamental shift in how we plan and operate: investing in infrastructure, logistics and operational flexibility so we can respond quickly and responsibly to policy changes, economic downturns or benefit disruptions without ever compromising service or dignity.
Most importantly, we are preparing by listening to the people we serve. The lived experiences of the people we serve inform how we adapt, innovate and advocate for solutions that go beyond emergency food alone. Their voices guide our efforts to improve access, increase choice and strengthen the systems that support families so that food assistance is not only available, but respectful, responsive and rooted in long-term stability.
How do you define success for yourself and your company?
Our success is crafted in the culture of Utah. It is built on trust, guided by transparency and anchored in the promise that we are here, prepared and ready to serve.
Success, for me, is measured in trust — trust from the people we serve, from our partners and from the community that supports our work. If individuals experiencing hunger feel respected, seen and supported when they walk through a pantry door, then we are doing our job well.
For the organization, success means being reliable in moments of crisis and thoughtful in moments of stability. It is the trust that the public puts in us to steward resources responsibly, support our staff and use our voice to advocate for solutions that reduce the need for our services over time. I may be the only CEO who believes the ultimate measure of success would be a future where Utah Food Bank is no longer necessary. Sadly, the need for our services only continues to grow.
Ultimately, success isn’t measured by dignity alone. It’s measured at the kitchen table: a mother tucking her children in with full stomachs, a warm meal for someone without a home, a senior able to afford life-sustaining medications because less of a fixed income is spent on food. That, to me, is success.
Describe the growth of your company in recent years. What other major achievements did the company accomplish under your leadership?
In recent years, Utah Food Bank has grown in both capacity and responsibility. Demand for services has increased dramatically, and the organization has responded by expanding facilities statewide, modernizing operations and strengthening partnerships across all 29 Utah counties.
Over the past four years, Utah Food Bank completed the largest expansion in its history: expanding, building or acquiring seven facilities statewide. This included expanded facilities in Salt Lake and St. George; new facilities in Springville and Blanding (with attached pantry) and three new pantries owned by Utah Food Bank in Montezuma Creek, Monument Valley and Hurricane. All this growth was achieved debt-free, made possible by raising more than $54 million before a single shovel hit the ground.
Beyond physical growth, some of our most meaningful achievements have been cultural and strategic. We have maintained a strong, value-driven workplace during unprecedented challenges. We have elevated Utah Food Bank as a trusted voice on food insecurity, helping shift public perception of hunger. And we have continued to innovate through mobile distributions, improved digital access for clients and donors, and coordinated emergency responses with state leaders.
This growth reflects not just organizational expansion, but a deepening commitment to serving Utahns with compassion, integrity and respect.
