Project Bread Welcomes Elyse Dolde as a Nutrition Services Coordinator

READING, Mass. – Growing up Elyse Dolde, 33, of Reading, always wanted to be a teacher of sorts. Her passion for helping people and working with children led her to pursue a career in pediatric occupational therapy. After working for several years in the homes of her young patients, she knew she wanted to continue helping people while also working to solve larger issues that exacerbated her patient’s challenges, such as meeting their basic needs like food. She joined Project Bread’s Healthcare Partnerships team as a nutrition services coordinator in December 2022 to do just that.

Recognizing that reliable access to nutritious food is integral to overall health, Project Bread, Massachusetts’ leading anti-hunger organization statewide, launched a Health Care Partnerships program in 2020 to help food insecure patients with complex diagnoses and specific dietary needs access healthy food and prepare it properly at home. Coordinators, like Dolde, provide one on one services to address barriers that individuals living on a low-income face when accessing food for health-related diets. Examples include connecting people with SNAP, providing basic kitchen equipment, arranging for transportation to shop for food, and distributing gift cards to local grocery stores. The pilot seeks to address the social determinants of health, with food insecurity and access being a major barrier for many individuals.

On a daily basis, Dolde connects with families to understand their current situation, talk through solutions and connect them to nutrition resources. By helping to improve access to food, she is helping to address health issues associated with food insecurity, from physical complications like obesity and diabetes to enhancing one’s self-esteem and a child’s ability to learn in the classroom.

“In my previous role as an occupational therapist, much of my work with kids was food focused as they often had sensory sensitivities to certain foods,” says Dolde. “Food is truly interrelated with a person’s mental, physical, and emotional health. How could I help regulate a child’s nervous system if they were first and foremost hungry? At Project Bread, we address the root causes of hunger and eliminate barriers to food access, meeting people’s basic needs so that other issues, such as sensory challenges, can be addressed.”

Members of the community can help Dolde improve access to nutrition resources across the Commonwealth by joining her on Sunday, May 7, for Project Bread’s 55th annual Walk for Hunger. Back in person for the first time since 2019, more than 3,000 Massachusetts residents will gather on the Boston Common and hundreds of others will participate remotely for the one-day fundraising event to raise more than $1 million to ensure Massachusetts residents of all ages across the state have enough to eat. New this year, there will be several family-friendly activations along the Boston Common three-mile route to raise awareness for food insecurity, nutrition resources available and other ways to get involved through the nonprofit to help neighbors in need.

"Good health is impossible if you don't have enough to eat but food is just one of many barriers people face, from having a working refrigerator and basic pots and pans, to transportation, and nutrition support," shares Erin McAleer, Project Bread President & CEO. "Elyse brings her compassion and expertise to the one-on-one support she provides people working to improve their health on a limited budget. Project Bread's Walk for Hunger community raises money for the work Elyse and our whole team do to make a lasting difference in the lives of the people we serve and solve hunger permanently.”

To register for Project Bread’s Walk for Hunger, or to support a walker or team, visit projectbread.org/walk or call (617) 723-5000. There is no registration fee or fundraising minimum to participate, although a $250 minimum goal is suggested. Participants who raise $500 or more are recognized as Heart & Sole walkers and receive access to personalized fundraising support, exclusive event gear, and invitations to events.

About Project Bread

Project Bread, the leading statewide anti-hunger nonprofit, connects people and communities in Massachusetts to reliable sources of food, while advocating for policies that make food more accessible—so that no one goes hungry. For more information, visit: www.projectbread.org.

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