Our Story
Niyeti Shah and Lucy Shanker met while working on a social impact team, where they supported—then subsequently led a Coalition. While there, they spearheaded an initiative to introduce, then pass the Food Donation Improvement Act, a bipartisan bill that made it easier to donate food to those in need, while also fighting senseless food waste. What began as a small project quickly picked up momentum and transcended the group to include over 70+ partners across the food space.
After gaining 50+ cosponsors, the legislation was passed as a stand-alone bill in the Senate by unanimous consent and subsequently passed by voice in the House. It was then signed into law by President Biden in January 2023.
Through this successful effort to pass federal legislation, Shah and Shanker realized the true impact that corporations can have on progressive food policy, as well as the many barriers that folks looking to donate food face on a regular basis. Additionally, they had created a network of like-minded organizations looking to make a tangible impact on the food system—now they just needed to keep the momentum going.
Thus, Food Systems Collaborative was born.
Meet the Team
FOUNDER
Niyeti Shah is the founder of the Food Systems Collaborative, a consultancy offering services at the intersection of social impact, food systems and food policy. Before founding Food Systems Collaborative, Niyeti led social impact at WeightWatchers International. In this role, Niyeti led a coalition of 70+ organizations to introduce, advocate for, and pass the Food Donation Improvement Act, launched WW’s first annual grant program, and piloted their first food is health pilot program. Previously, Niyeti was an Associate Director at the Milken Institute’s Center for Public Health, leading the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative focusing on food procurement policy and improving access to WIC. During her career in food systems Niyeti has worked on food access, federal nutrition programs, and program management with various organizations including Partnership for a Healthier America, Food Research and Action Center, the National WIC Association, and the BlinkNow Foundation in Surkhet, Nepal. Her graduate research focused on the DC WIC Expansion Act of 2018, comparing the impact of vendor eligibility criteria on participant/vendor ratios across states. Niyeti received her bachelor of arts in human health from Emory University and her master of public health in public health nutrition from George Washington University.
SENIOR CONSULTANT,
COMMUNICATIONS & PROGRAM
Lucy Shanker is a communications professional specializing in the intersection of social impact, consumer communications, and food systems. After a successful tenure as a journalist in New York, Lucy joined WeightWatchers to support consumer communications in the food and nutrition space, where she wrote copy for email campaigns, SEO- and research-driven articles, product packaging, and more to drive a greater understanding of nutritious lifestyles. She then transitioned to the newly formed social impact team, overseeing corporate philanthropy, member donations, product donations, Food is Medicine partnerships, and grant programs. Leveraging her background in communications, she created and executed a multi-year consumer and employee communications strategy, including building a social media advocacy campaign with 70+ organizations, conceptualizing and executing omnichannel cultural moment campaigns, producing high-profile press moments with celebrities like Tom Colicchio and Ciara, and more. In her role as Senior Consultant, Lucy uses her unique background in corporate social impact, nutrition, and communications to help organizations design and implement social impact strategies and communication plans that highlight their impact while consistently engaging key stakeholders and target consumers.