Nourishing New England and the soul

Marci Sindell is helping to fight hunger—and misconceptions of food insecurity—in the face of record need

The idea of Massachusetts often evokes picturesque images of lighthouses and lobster traps, colonial houses on cobblestone streets, and some of the world’s most renowned universities lining the Charles River.

“You think, ‘Oh, hunger’s not in my town,’” says Marci Sindell. “But it is. No matter where you are.”

In fact, 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents reported food insecurity in 2023—and the number has continued to grow since the pandemic, according to The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). The statistic is a sobering one for Sindell.

As a GBFB board member and long-time donor, she has seen firsthand what can happen when people are faced with hunger. Mothers cut their babies’ formula with water. Seniors feed their pets instead of themselves. Tough choices lead to painful decisions that are unsustainable in the long term.

The GBFB building with its bright red lettering is a landmark for anyone driving along Interstate 93 south of Boston. Unfortunately, its prominence represents how far the food bank’s coverage must reach—stocking 80% of the food in most pantries from the New Hampshire border to the tip of Cape Cod. Sindell has been a supporter for decades. “Giving at any level is nourishing for your soul,” she says.”

Stocking the pantry for impact

Faith and the concept of tzedakah, a Jewish tradition of charity and bettering the world, are important to Sindell. “Giving has always played a role in my life,” she says. Years ago, when she was an executive at Haemonetics, a medical device health care company, Sindell worked on products that collected platelets for cancer patients. “It dawned on me that I wanted to do much more mission-driven work,” she says. A career move left her with Haemonetics stock options to cash in.

Sindell wanted to share the windfall with others but needed to find the most strategic way, so she opened a Fidelity Charitable Giving Account. For over 20 years now, Sindell has added stock to her donor-advised fund when the market is booming and watched the funds grow tax-free. Then she grants gifts to the food bank and other nonprofits she and her family are passionate about.

“We couldn’t have made such good use of that windfall in the same way without our Giving Account,” she says. “It’s a great way to plan for major giving in the future at a time when you have an opportunity to do it in a financially sound way. And it really got us thinking about consolidating small donations.” For instance, many of Sindell’s friends participate in the annual Pan-Mass Challenge, a bikeathon that raises money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. For years, she wrote checks to each of them. Today, she makes one large grant to the Pan-Mass Challenge through the family’s Giving Account.

Sindell appreciates how quickly she can grant from her Giving Account and the knowledge that the account is actively growing tax-free—preparing to help more people over time.

“Watching a separate fund grow strictly for philanthropy is a reminder that we are able to give,” Sindell says. “We can make a difference, and we’re in a lucky position to do it.”