Feb. 22—The longtime leader of The Food Depot is planning to retire after more than two decades at the helm, the organization announced Thursday.

Sherry Hooper, who has led the Santa Fe-based food bank since September 2001, will step down June 30. A transition committee is seeking Hooper’s replacement.

The organization touted Hooper’s leadership of a capital campaign that took the nonprofit from a 5,000 square-foot warehouse to a space more than five times larger, which now distributes more than 9 million pounds of food per year.

Hooper also has served as an advocate for anti-poverty measures. She spoke in favor of free school meals and for help during the pandemic, when food banks across the country saw massive spikes in demand. She also rang a warning bell over 2023 cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program, calling on community members to lobby members of Congress.

“Sherry is a remarkable person,” Food Depot board member David Barton said in the news release. “Her energy, intelligence and compassion are an inspiration. What a privilege to work with her for so many wonderful years.”

Before coming to The Food Depot, where Hooper is now the longest-serving executive director in its history, she worked for a decade at Harvesters Food Bank in her hometown of Kansas City, Mo., the release said.

Hooper declined an interview Thursday. In a statement, she described her time at the organization as “one of my greatest joys.”

“Every day I’ve had the opportunity to work with a community dedicated to providing healthy food to so many children and families,” Hooper said, according to the release. “Northern New Mexico is now my second home, and I could not be more proud of the change we have made together.”