Rebecca Hart is our 2026 Parade Marshal, a big congratulations to Rebecca! Rebecca was born in Providence, RI, she moved to Southwick as a child. Rebecca graduated from Southwick High School, and earned her degree in Public Administration from Roger Williams University. She has resided in Westfield since 2013. She has two children which are her pride and joy, Chase Ryan (12) and Emilia Maeve (7). Her Irish roots run deep on her fathers side; the O’Falveys are from County Kerry.
Rebecca has worked for the Westfield Food Pantry as Executive Director since 2009. Under her leadership operations have grown to include many services such as the food truck, which operates as a mobile soup kitchen, and served 8,000 healthy and hot meals in 2025. Also, home delivery of groceries, the annual teen giving, which “adopts” and provides basic needs and wants during the holiday season, now 11 years strong, established a Free Little Food Pantry which provides access to food 24/7, established a community garden at Westfield State University, and much more. In addition to managing the daily operations of the Westfield Food Pantry, Ms. Hart cooks all the food served on the food truck.
Prior to her role as Executive Director of the Westfield Food Pantry, she was employed by the Town of Southwick, working at the Senior Center. She was also awarded the Volunteer of the Year award by the American Red Cross, Westfield Chapter, the Above and Beyond award by the Westfield Public Schools for spearheading efforts to successfully raise $100,000 to build a new playground at Highland Elementary School, and was honored by the Westfield Woman’s Club in 2025 for her volunteerism and community involvement. When not at work, she delights in being a mom, is active in her parish, and school PTO.