Kay joined Second Harvest Food Bank as CEO in January of 2004. During Kay’s tenure at the Food Bank the total pounds of food and household items distributed have increased from 7 million pounds to over 80 million pounds annually. Kay has established a set of key goals that have served as a guide for the staff as they work to end hunger in the 24 county region of North and South Carolina served by Second Harvest. Nutritional pounds including fresh produce, meat, and dairy products have grown by 450%, an average of 24% per year. Pounds in these categories, which people living in poverty can least afford but need to stay healthy, are vitally important in improving the overall health of our community.
Volunteer hours at Second Harvest have increased by 48% per year since 2004. During the most recent fiscal year, volunteer hours donated to Second Harvest totaled almost 300,000. These hours saved the Food Bank over 7 million dollars in labor costs, funds that are being redirected to feeding more people in need.
The number one goal of Second Harvest during Kay’s tenure has been to end child hunger in our region. These programs including the backpack program, Kids Café programs, and the school based mobile pantry program have grown an average of 53% every year since 2004.
Today, Second Harvest is the largest nonprofit in the area of health and human services in the greater Charlotte region with annual revenues including food donations of over 143 million dollars.
Prior to joining Second Harvest, Kay served as the Director of the York County Department of Social Services for seven years and as a City Manager for ten years. Kay holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Winthrop University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina.