Gaining Ground welcomes two new members to its Board of Directors: Nina Frusztajer and John Canally. Here they share their interests and thoughts on becoming more closely involved with the organization.

Nina Frusztajer

So much about Gaining Ground resonates with my upbringing, educational and work background, love of cooking, eating, and sharing great food (and wine!), faith in building community, and passions for sustaining the planet and making real food available to everyone, especially those in need. My mother is from Brazil, so I was brought up cooking and eating wholesome food, sitting down together for meals with family and friends, and healing with food and herbs. My upbringing and love of science and health led me to major in chemistry, pursue a master’s degree in nutrition, become a physician, and co-author a book about food and brain chemistry and the impact both have on appetite, weight loss, and mood. In addition to working with patients and clients to address health and wellness, I am a certified personal life coach and yoga instructor, taught nutrition classes as a volunteer at Operation Frontline (now called Project Bread), and have been a chef and pantry stocker at Open Table in Concord and Maynard.

In addition to addressing physical health, my wellness counseling has targeted isolation and lack of life purpose. Gaining Ground’s robust volunteer program is especially meaningful to me. Inspired by the many farms in Concord and thrilled to have a spacious backyard (with lots of chirping birds) since moving to Concord in 2017, I am now growing things in my backyard for the first time and look forward to learning more about soil health. I hope I can make meaningful contributions to further Gaining Ground’s mission and look forward to enjoying the work and the company of the remarkable board and staff members.

John Canally

I enjoy volunteering in the greater Boston area with my family and walking my dog, Uno, in and around Concord. I served on the Concord Planning Board from 2012 through 2017. My dog walking and passion for community service came together one day when I walked past Gaining Ground on Virginia Road.

I joined the board because I am interested in sustainability and inspired by the mission to provide healthy, organic food to members of our community who may not have access to fresh produce. As a board member, I hope to inspire other families to get involved and carry on its important work, while contributing my experience in financial services in support of the organization.