Andy Hagen is the new executive director of Boca Helping Hands after volunteering there for years. Photo provided
By Janis Fontaine
Andy Hagen, the senior pastor at Advent Life Ministries in Boca Raton, donned a new hat on June 1: “I’m moving from feeding souls to feeding bodies,” he said.
Hagen was named executive director of Boca Helping Hands, a nonprofit that provides food, medical and financial assistance to individuals and families, assisting nearly 35,000 people annually with its programs.
“This is truly God’s work,” Hagen said. “I’ve been involved in BHH for years and I got a lot of satisfaction from working there. What they do is really tangible. In my mind, I’d been feeding souls. Now I’m feeding people. It’s a calling that’s rewarding, but it’s also sad. There will always be poor and hungry.”
Hagen replaces Greg Hazle, who has stepped down.
During Hazle’s eight-year tenure, BHH experienced tremendous growth, matching its programs and services with the increasing needs of the community.
In his 20 years at Advent, Hagen led an $8 million organization with 90 employees across two church campuses, plus two schools and a senior living center, and still found time to volunteer each week at BHH’s Lake Worth Beach Pantry Bag distribution site. “Most of the people BHH feeds are seniors and children, veterans and the homeless,” he said.
Experts report that, despite Palm Beach County’s wealth, more than 173,000 residents struggle with hunger and that 51,000 children do not have enough to eat on a daily basis. More than half the students enrolled in county schools qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
“We don’t have a food quantity problem in this country,” Hagen said. “We have a problem with accessibility and affordability. We grow an incredible amount of vegetables here but there’s a paucity of vegetables in some neighborhoods.”
Experts call these areas food deserts, where nutritious food is unavailable because stores stock products with long shelf lives instead of perishables.
“But Boca Helping Hands does a lot more than feed the hungry,” said Hagen, who for the past eight years has served on the board of directors. Though feeding the hungry is fundamental to its work, it’s not the sole focus.
“We are providing more than just a meal; we’re finding ways to help people become self-sufficient,” Hagen said.
Through its vocational training and ESOL programs, BHH is making a long-lasting impact, following the old “teach a man to fish” adage.
“We know there are times when people need a handout, but we want to provide a hand up to a better life,” Hagen said. “Where do kids who leave school prematurely to go to work find good-paying jobs? Trucking and transportation jobs are hard jobs but they’re good jobs, and the CDL [commercial driver’s license] is something you can get without a diploma.
“We focus on two different areas, inspired by the goal that we’re trying to help them have a better life: CDL licenses and trade programs, programs that train technicians. We want to develop more opportunities in training. We’ve done certified nurse assistant and food service training, but those jobs don’t get you the income that brings self-reliance. We need to train for better paying jobs than those. A big focus for me will be to provide leadership in that area.”
For the first time in his career, Hagen isn’t ministering to people on a daily basis. “My gratitude toward Advent after 20 years is immeasurable. I’m so proud to be able to serve in a new way and I think my parishioners are proud too — many of them are volunteers.” They still call him Pastor, “but I’m just Andy now,” he joked.
Born and raised in Michigan, Hagen earned his undergraduate degree from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He got his master’s and doctorate from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago before he began serving the church.
Hagen is adept at leading people and solving problems, but his new job comes with new challenges. Government cutbacks worry him, he said.
“We have one agency we work with, and we called, and our contact had been let go. We don’t have any idea what effect tariffs will have on the food distribution,” he said.
But the pastor has faith. “There’s always something we can do. We shouldn’t let our frustration paralyze us. It needs to lead to action, because we can make a difference, and not just in Boca. We should be confident that our organizations are going to come through,” Hagen said.
Doing God’s work is about finding a way, he said. “I’m working for an organization where federal funds are declining, and we’re still trying to figure out what the outcome is going to be. We know we’re getting less food from the food banks.”
So, Hagen looks to the community for help. “I was never able to turn five loaves and two fishes into a feast for thousands, but maybe if we all pull together, we can.”
Bowling for Bread
Mark your calendars for Bowling for Bread, a fun fundraiser taking place from noon to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Bowlero, 21046 Commercial Trail, Boca Raton. This annual event benefits the BHH Backpacks program.
During the 2023-24 school year, the BHH Backpacks program provided 30,227 weekend meal boxes to 1,374 children from 13 schools. Sponsorships are available beginning at $1,000.
Lane sponsorships are available for $500 and $100 to sponsor a child. For details, visit bocahelpinghands.org/ty-for-attending-bowling-for-bread or call 561-417-0913.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com
About Boca Helping Hands
Boca Helping Hands was founded as a soup kitchen in 1998. It’s now one of the largest nonprofit service providers in South Florida with 23 staff members and more than 300 core volunteers assisting nearly 35,000 clients annually. Here are some of its recent statistics and efforts:
• Distributed 103,390 pantry bags from its five Palm Beach County locations in 2024, served 59,585 hot meals that same year, and sent weekend meals home with food-insecure elementary school students via the BHH Backpacks program.
• Helped hundreds of people access affordable medical, dental and behavioral care through its partnership with Genesis Community Health and Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing Community Based Clinics.
• Provided emergency financial assistance to Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Boynton Beach residents in crisis to help with rent, overdue utility bills and the rising cost of child care through the Children’s Assistance Program.
• Gave free ESL classes and courses in health and wellness, financial management, and other life skills.
• Awarded scholarships for qualified candidates to attend accredited vocational training classes that prepare them for careers in the health care, information technology, construction and transportation industries.
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