FoodBank South Africa is deeply saddened by the untimely death of Bob Forney, the visionary leader of The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN). Mr Forney, who was 69, died last Sunday night at his Indiana home. He was a humanitarian and a leader of the foodbanking movement who fought hunger around the globe, including in South Africa.
"Bob was a compassionate and deeply passionate man, who was instrumental in bringing government, corporate and civil society together to persuade them that through collaboration one can make significant advances in the war on hunger. It is thanks to his tenacity and power to persuade key stakeholders to work together that FoodBank South Africa (FBSA) was born. Bob's vision and passion will be sorely missed by the FBSA team," said William Mzimba, the chairman of FBSA.
Mr Forney is survived by his wife Nancy and son Rob.
Paying tribute to Mr Forney, William Rudnick, the chairman of the GFN’s board of directors, said: “There is nothing that Bob would want more than for us to pull together and pursue his vision of hunger beaten back around the world by the strength and compassion of food banking. Little we could do would honour Bob's legacy more.”
“We lost a true friend, not only personally, but also a true friend of the poor and hungry. We have also lost our mentor, teacher and leader. Words cannot adequately express the depth of our loss,” said Pat Tracy, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Bob spent a very large part of his life following a calling to fight hunger. I know if there is a final message Bob would have shared with us it would have been "Stay the course."
Mr Forney worked tirelessly on behalf of people in need, from the homeless living on the sidewalks in Chicago, to a destitute family living in the informal settlements of Orange Farm, South Africa. His fierce determination to end hunger in our lifetime is a living legacy to an American hero.
Beloved among his family, staff, friends, and associates, Mr Forney often spoke proudly of his wife, Nancy, and the food pantry she had nurtured to help hundreds of families in their hometown, and his son, Rob, a graduate film student at Columbia College. He is also survived by his sister Jane Egglestron and a grandson, Jake.
Mr Forney was the founding president and CEO of the GFN, an international organization that works collaboratively to reduce world hunger by securing more food and enhancing the ability to efficiently distribute food through food banks and food bank networks around the globe. He was familiar with food security issues of 30 countries where GFN is engaged. Collectively, these countries represent more than one third of the world’s hungry. During his presidency, GFN actively assisted in developing or expanding food banking capacity in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, and built important relationships with major international food and grocery products companies.
Prior to his work at GFN, he served as president and CEO of Feeding America, the largest US charitable domestic hunger relief organization. Under his leadership, Feeding America exceeded expectations in its overwhelming response to Hurricane Katrina. Previously, he was president and CEO of the Chicago Stock Exchange Inc. and a partner at KPMG with responsibility for the development of information technology software products and the execution of client engagements.
He created one of the first software companies in the world, and served on the senior management team of a global software company that was the first software firm to be listed on the NYSE. He served in the US Army during the Vietnam War. Mr Forney was on the Board of the Taste of the NFL (the NFL’s largest charitable programme) and a friend and partner of the FAO and WFP, UN agriculture and anti-hunger organizations. He has served on the boards of privately held and public corporations, including State Farm Bank.
GFN’s Board and Staff remain dedicated to carrying on Bob Forney’s legacy of working to alleviate hunger around the world. “Bob’s vision and optimism for using the simple concept of food banking as a catalyst to drive food security will live on in our hearts and in our work,” said Chris Rebstock, previously GFN’s Vice President and COO, now Interim CEO. “Bob was gifted at helping others to see the huge potential in food banking for bringing together the right people and leveraging the right resources to help achieve food security in their community or country. We will work tirelessly to serve that vision.”
Bob Forney cuts the opening ribbon of FoodBank Johannesburg - May 2009
