Ann Prifrel joins Harry Chapin Food Bank as chief development officer

Harry Chapin Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization and only Feeding America partner serving Southwest Florida, is pleased to announce Ann Prifrel has been named the organization’s chief development officer. In this role, Prifrel will lead strategic fundraising efforts focused on the food bank’s mission to end hunger in Southwest Florida.

An accomplished fundraising professional, Prifrel has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit food bank leadership. She most recently served as the founding chief executive officer of the St. Croix Valley Food Bank in Wisconsin. Founded in 2021, the St. Croix Valley Food Bank serves a four-county region in western Wisconsin, distributing more than 4.2 million pounds of food annually.

During her tenure as CEO, the St. Croix Valley Food Bank grew to a $9.4 million organization serving approximately 60 food relief programs throughout western Wisconsin. Prifrel was not only pivotal in securing financial support from foundations, corporations, individuals and governmental agencies, she also implemented processes that resulted in double-digit growth in the number of individuals served, pounds of food distributed and hunger relief partnerships during her tenure.

Prifrel also spearheaded a successful $12 million capital campaign to build a permanent facility for the St. Croix Valley Food Bank, securing $4.3 million in federal funding for the building.

“I am thrilled to join Harry Chapin Food Bank and support the food bank’s mission of ending hunger in Southwest Florida,” said Prifrel. “I wholeheartedly believe that together we can turn hunger into health and look forward to working with business and community leaders to ensure that no one in our community has to worry about where their next meal will come from.”

Prior to joining the St. Croix Valley Food Bank, Prifrel served as the executive director of the United Way of St. Croix Valley. There, she expanded the organization’s hunger relief community impact program by increasing access to food from 46,000 to 750,000 meals. This effort led to the creation of the St. Croix Valley Food Bank, the region’s first food bank and Feeding America partner.

Prifrel began her career in food banking as the executive director of the White Bear Area Emergency Food Shelf in White Bear Lake, Minn. The neighborhood food pantry currently provides food, resources and support to more than 6,000 families each month.

“We are pleased to welcome Ann to the Harry Chapin Food Bank team,” said Richard LeBer, the president and CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank. “Her experience creating meaningful change in communities and dedication to ending hunger will play a key role in achieving our vision of a hunger-free Southwest Florida.”

Prifrel has a bachelor’s of arts degree in sociology and a master of arts in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Minnesota. Prior to her work in nonprofits, she served as the operations manager at Thomson Reuters, a global content and technology company. She is also the co-founder of Pantry Saver, a software solution that provides operational, fundraising, volunteer management and data reporting services for food pantries.