Providing Help & Assistance to Burlington Residents

Jim spent much of his career working at Fidelity Investments as well as at a small software company in Andover, managing software developers. Prior to joining People Helping People’s staff, he spent a few years as the shop manager of True North café in Burlington. Jim joined PHP in 2021 and has taken on the role of Executive Director. Jim is originally from West Roxbury, MA and settled in Burlington with his wife in 1995. They have 3 wonderful children and 1 beautiful granddaughter. Jim’s favorite activities include golfing, hiking, spending time with family and friends, watching local sporting events, and tackling the occasional Do-It-Yourself project.

Julie graduated from culinary school in 2008 and spent much of her career working in retail and food service management. She has always had a passion for hunger alleviation and channeled that passion through volunteer work. In particular, she has co-coordinated the annual People Helping People Thanksgiving program for over 10 years in conjunction with her church. When the opportunity arose for Julie to combine her food management experience with her passion for helping those in need by joining People Helping People’s staff as their Pantry Manager, she did not hesitate. During her time at People Helping People, Julie has formed the Burlington Community Collaborative, a group of nonprofit organizations and social service agencies who meet regularly to share support and foster collaboration within the Burlington community. Julie’s favorite parts about working for People Helping People are getting to know the clients and their stories, and interacting with the dozens of incredible volunteers who work at the pantry and in the garden each week. When she’s not at the food pantry, Julie can be found spending time with her husband and 3 kids, digging in her vegetable and flower gardens, playing music, or baking up something delicious in the kitchen.

Prior to joining the People Helping People staff as Pantry Assistant, Abby got to know PHP as a delivery driver for Spoonfuls, a food rescue organization. For several years she delivered fresh food to the pantry each week. In January of 2024 the opportunity arose to join the pantry staff, and Abby has loved becoming a part of the PHP community. In addition to working in food rescue, Abby has a background working outdoors with the Department of Conservation and Recreation as part of their urban tree planting program, and serving with AmeriCorps St. Louis, a conservation and disaster relief organization. Abby’s favorite parts of working at PHP include getting to know all of the incredible volunteers, serving the Burlington community, and volunteering in the Victory Garden. When she is not at the pantry, Abby enjoys hiking, running, cooking, baking, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.

After retiring from her 33-year career in IT at State Street Corporation, Julie was looking for a way to give back to her community. She began volunteering at People Helping People’s food pantry and enjoyed making new friends, sharing kindness, and providing for her neighbors. After some time, the opportunity arose for her to join the PHP staff as Volunteer Coordinator. Julie and her husband Bob (Biswanger) of 35 years have three wonderful children and 2 beautiful grandchildren. When she’s not recruiting volunteers, filling vacant shifts, or planning events with People Helping People, Julie enjoys crafting, reading, traveling, music, and theater, just to name a few!