Patti Gormley is Retiring

After six years of channeling her passion for Gather into fundraising efforts, Development Director Patti Gormley is retiring at the end of June.   

Patti started at Gather as a volunteer. In that role, she was so impressed and enthused by how the Portsmouth-based food pantry impacted the Greater Seacoast, that she started asking friends to make donations. It wasn’t long before Patti took her lifelong career in sales and turned her full-time attention to Gather.  

“I became an obsessed volunteer” Patti says. “It wasn’t long before that transitioned to my job.” What began as a couple days a week eventually became full-time as the agency and its needs grew. “I shared my passion for Gather and it was contagious.”  

One person who caught the passion was Chris Sargent. He has made a $50,000 matching donation to Gather in honor of Patti's unwavering efforts to help feed our neighbors who are food insecure.   

“I’m thrilled to be donating for another Gather match campaign and this one is extra special for me because it recognizes Patti Gormley’s contributions to Gather,” Chris says. “It’s because of her passion and commitment that I and many others first became involved with Gather. To write that she’ll be missed is a massive understatement."  

Anne Hayes, Gather’s Executive Director, echoes this, “Patti has done an incredible job of increasing awareness of the growing food insecurity in the Greater Seacoast and garnering support so that we can meet that need. She is constantly out in the community, drawing in everyone she meets to learn more about Gather and become committed to our vision of a hunger-free community. We can’t thank her enough for all her hard work, enthusiasm, and creativity!”   

Patti offers thanks of her own:

 "It has been my absolute privilege and honor to meet so many incredible neighbors - the Gather staff, the Board of Directors, our volunteers, members, and, of course, donors. Together we helped the community be safer, stronger, healthier and happier.  We fed hundreds of thousands of friends in need of food.  Our job is not done, and I'll be forever proud to serve as a Gather ambassador and volunteer.”  “I can never truly express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the opportunity to serve the Greater Seacoast alongside each of you.”