Merrell UMC - Feeding South Florida

Paco Vélez

President & CEO

As President & CEO of Feeding South Florida, Francisco (“Paco”) Vélez is responsible for the overall administration, management, and leadership of the organization in pursuit of its mission, goals, and objectives.

Since his arrival in 2012, Vélez has increased the number of pounds of food distributed across Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties, from 29.6 million pounds in 2012 to 50 million pounds in 2018. He has increased funding and reduced expenses to ensure a healthy financial position for the organization, bringing it from seven figures in the red to seven figures in the black.

South Florida Business Journal named Vélez as Ultimate CEO of 2015, as well as a member
of the 40 Under 40 Class of 2013 for his accomplishments as CEO of Feeding South Florida.

Prior to joining Feeding South Florida in April 2012, Vélez served as executive vice president of programs and initiatives from 2010-2012 and director of services from 2000-2010 at the San Antonio Food Bank in San Antonio, Texas, one of the leading food banks in the Feeding America network. Vélez’s responsibilities at the San Antonio Food Bank included oversight of six divisions responsible for all outreach programs and initiatives of the food bank.

Also prior to joining Feeding South Florida, from 2010-2012, Vélez served as a consultant
to the Treasure Coast Food Bank for proposals, budgets, warehouse operations and program creation and innovation.

Vélez holds a Certification in Non-Profit Management from the University of Texas in San Antonio, Texas, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

Vélez was recently appointed to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Living Healthy in Florida Advisory Board by Commissioner Adam Putnam. He is also the past secretary for Feeding Florida and is currently on the board, while also serving on the board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program with the United Way of Miami-Dade.

In Texas, he has served on the boards of the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) and Holy Spirit Catholic Church Homeless and Hunger Ministry. Vélez is also a Leadership San Antonio graduate of The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce/San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Sari M. Vatske

Executive Vice President

As Executive Vice President of Feeding South Florida (FSF), Vatske is responsible for strategy development and execution, as well as all external aspects of the organization including fundraising and programs. Ms. Vatske started her tenure with FSF as Director of Partner Services, was promoted to Vice President of Community Relations in 2014 and was promoted to Executive Vice President in January 2018.

Prior to joining FSF in July 2011, Vatske served as the Florida Regional Manager for Share Our Strength, a Washington, DC-based organization working to end childhood hunger in the United States. Her responsibilities at Share Our Strength included fundraising and events, volunteer recruitment and development, and advocacy/community building.

Also prior to joining FSF, from 2006-2008, Vatske served as the Outreach Coordinator & District Press Secretary for a United States Congresswoman, where she was responsible for media relations, community outreach/improvement, constituent engagement, and district events.

During her tenure with FSF, Vatske was named a “Top Workplace Professional” by the Sun-Sentinel in 2016 and was named “40 Under 40” by the South Florida Business Journal in 2014. Vatske sits on Feeding America’s Network Fundraising Services Advisory Council.

Vatske holds a Master of the Arts in International Relations from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Florida State University. Vatske has a certificate in High-Performance Leadership from Cornell University and is a Six Sigma Green Belt as well as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).

Humana

As part of Humana’s Bold Goal to increase healthy by 20 percent in 2020, Feeding South Florida partners with Humana in a variety of ways. Most notable is our innovative randomized control trial (RCT) looking at the impact food insecurity has on the number of healthy days as defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The RCT is a single-blind research study that involved training clinicians on how to screen for food insecurity and providing different interventions for the treatment groups and control groups.

Aetna

Seeking to better quantify the impact our School Pantry Program has on children, Feeding South Florida has partnered with Aetna, the Miami-Dade County School District, and the Florida Institute for Health Innovation (FIHI) to assess the impact food has on children’s performance in the classroom, absences due to health-related issues and behavior in school. Aetna is generously supporting a School Pantry Program site, research efforts, and school district personnel. Our research concludes in the summer of 2019.

SITE LINKS

LOCATIONS

Main Warehouse

Feeding Palm Beach County