Kristy Ryan

She’s Solving the Hunger Crisis, One Truckload at a Time

When people move, they often toss their unused food in the garbage. National nonprofit Move for Hunger was founded to give that food a good home with a family in need. Kristy Ryan, who was named COO in 2022, has been instrumental in scaling up Move For Hunger’s impact but especially in 2024, when the organization celebrated its biggest year yet. Ryan helped form and launch Move For Hunger’s Charity Freight Network, which taps freight companies to rescue bulk shipments of food that were originally headed for the landfill. These include 29,400 pounds of mustard and turnips delivered to the Atlanta Community Food Bank in Atlanta, Georgia, and 15,000 pounds of fresh juice delivered to the Rolling Harvest Food Rescue in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The effort has already resulted in more than 7 million pounds of food being moved. She also led a massive effort to expand and improve the nonprofit’s HR offerings in 2024, with additional benefit providers, financial literacy workshops, and mentorship and wellness programs.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo