Jim Palma

Community Network Builder

Foodshare

Jim is a Community Network Builder with Foodshare where he facilitates community-based Hunger Action Teams.  These teams develop and implement local solutions to ending hunger in their communities, while empowering their neighbors to become food secure.

Foodshare is the regional food bank serving Connecticut’s Hartford and Tolland counties, where 1 in 9 people struggle with hunger. Foodshare collaborates with anti-hunger organizations, policy makers, and the broader community to build effective solutions to end hunger.

Previously, Jim has analyzed, developed and implemented public policy at the state level; gave presentations to over 20,000 people (audiences large and small); ran his own consulting and insurance practice; and developed hundreds of local partnerships with neighborhood groups, businesses, schools and nonprofits.

Jim lives in West Hartford, CT with his wife and two adult children.  He received his Engineering degree from the University of Connecticut and his Masters in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island.  Jim also completed “Encore!Hartford” (now Encore!Connecticut) a nonprofit leadership training program at the University of Connecticut.