Ana Catalina Suaréz Peña 

Strategy & Innovation Senior Director

Ana Catalina Suárez Peña is the Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at The Global FoodBanking Network, where she leads advocacy and policy on food loss and waste as well as its work on the Global Methane Hub. Previously, Ms. Suárez Peña served as GFN’s Regional Director for Latin America, overseeing food banks in 17 Latin American countries. Before joining GFN, she spent six years as Executive Director of Bancos de Alimentos de Colombia (ABACO), championed federal legislation against food loss and waste, and worked on extreme poverty alleviation for Colombia’s federal government. She lives in Bogotá, Colombia.

Past Campaigns

Explainer: Virtual Food Banking

Food Banks: An Unsung Hero of Climate Action

“We thought we knew poverty. We were not ready for this.”

On 12 March – the day the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic – Ana Catalina Suarez Peña was in São Paulo, working with longtime GFN member Mesa Brasil Sesc. “The first emotion that this situation gave me was fear,” Ana said. “Something is going to happen, but you don’t know what.” She immediately returned home to Bogotá. Four days later the borders closed. 
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