Nidhi Sen has been doing work in philanthropy since her college days. She’s spent years focusing on children and education and now she’s turning her attention to hunger relief.
With a background as an engineer, and as the Senior Director of Technology, Digital Engineering at Target Corporation, Sen said she wanted to find a way to contribute her skills to a nonprofit.
“FFEN is really punching above its weight, and I want to be a part of it,” she said. “I know consulting organizations can make a huge difference because they can have a multiplier effect, you can make many food shelves more efficient and successful.”
Access to food, she said, is a basic need so she applied to join the FFEN board of directors and accepted the role in early January.
“Food is such a fundamental thing and the idea of food security, the emotional turmoil of it, it stands out to me,” she said.
Her children attended public school, and she volunteered there, hearing about kids whose only reliable meal came from the one they received at school.
So, she began to look for impactful hunger relief organizations. Previously, Sen started a small nonprofit that helped Indian children connect with their roots. Additionally, she used her professional skills to help found Target Tech4Good (now Tequity). The program came about during the pandemic and in the aftermath of George Floyd to assist low-income micro entrepreneurs with technology services. The pro bono program completed 35 projects, one of which she led for Midtown Global Market. There, she, and a group of volunteers, revamped the MGM website including updated content, ecommerce capabilities, and videos to help tell the stories of the entrepreneurs.
Now, Sen said she is interested in making a difference at FFEN, using her skills and professional expertise.
“I really want to understand how to increase the impact,” she said.
