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Boca
Raton
resident,
Michelle Hagerty, names
the
state-of-the-art
community
kitchen
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Boca
Raton,
FL
–
May
16,
2025
– The
Palm
Beach
County
Food
Bank
(PBCFB)
is
celebrating
a
partnership
that
is
cooking
with
gas!
Recently,
the
PBCFB
received
a
$2
million
naming
gift
from
Boca
Raton
resident
Michelle
Hagerty
in
support
of
the
nonprofit’s
community
kitchen.
Just
open
last
summer,
the
kitchen
was
built
to
provide
10,000
hot,
nutritious
meals
a
day
to
Palm
Beach
County-based
food-insecure
children,
families,
adults,
veterans
and
seniors.
Hagerty
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“Michelle’s
background
and
values
strongly
align
with
the
Food
Bank’s,
and
we
are
so
grateful
to
have
her
generosity
and
vision,”
said
Jamie
Kendall,
PBCFB
CEO.
“This
gift
will
continue
to
allow
us
to
give
hope
to
individuals
and
families
who
are
at-risk
of
not
receiving
the
nourishment
they
so
desperately
need.”
With
approximately
173,000
food-insecure
residents
throughout
Palm
Beach
County,
PBCFB
procures
food
from
grocery
stores,
farmers,
food
distributors,
wholesalers
and
other
sources
and
distributes
it
to
over
200
local
community
partners,
including
food
pantries,
soup
kitchens
and
schools.
In
2024,
PBCFB
distributed
nearly
13
million
meals
to
over
193,000
residents
experiencing
hunger
and
was
honored
with
the
Community
Collaborator
Award
at
the
8th
Annual
Nonprofits
First
Hats
Off
Awards.
“I
support
the
Palm
Beach
County
Food
Bank
and
wanted
to
name
the
community
kitchen
because
no
one
should
ever
have
to
wonder
where
their
next
meal
is
coming
from,”
said
Hagerty.
“Supporting
PBCFB
isn’t
just
about
food,
it’s
about
dignity,
hope
and
the
belief
that
we
all
have
a
role
in
lifting
one
another
up.
Philanthropy
is
my
way
of
investing
in
a
stronger
and
more
compassionate
future
for
everyone.”
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Hagerty
is
a
dedicated
philanthropist
with
a
focus
on
youth
wellness
and
children’s
initiatives.
A
graduate
of
the
University
of
Southern
Maine,
she
served
as
the
vice
president
of
Florida
sales
for
White
Rock
Distilleries
until
the
company’s
acquisition
in
2012. In
addition
to
PBCFB,
she
is
heavily
involved
in
various
local
charities
and
serves
on
the
board
of
trustees
for
Boca
Raton
Regional
Hospital
Foundation,
Saint
Andrew’s
School
and
Nicklaus
Children’s
Hospital
Foundation.
In
her
spare
time,
she
enjoys
running,
skiing
and
spending
quality
time
with
her
husband
and
two
kids.
The
PBCFB
community
kitchen
is
gearing
up
to
launch
a
culinary
training
center
and
produce
processing
facility.
The
training
center
will
allow
unemployed
and
underemployed
residents
the
skills
needed
to
earn
a
living
in
the
food
service
industry
and
to
become
culinary
entrepreneurs
while
nourishing
the
county’s
most
vulnerable
neighbors
with
substantial
food. For
more
information
about
the
PBCFB
or
to
support
the
community
kitchen,
please
visit pbcfoodbank.org.
