FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt Mulkey
Community Engagement Manager
matt@mowtakoma.org
TAKOMA PARK, Md.—Meals on Wheels of Takoma Park/Silver Spring has announced that Executive Director Ruth Masterson is leaving the Takoma Park-based nonprofit at the end of September.
Masterson, a 20-year resident of Silver Spring who is originally from San Francisco, California, was appointed in 2018, taking over from Jill Feasley, who directed the organization for over a decade and a half prior.
During her seven-year tenure, Masterson increased the budget more than eightfold, grew the staff from two to nine employees, and navigated a merger, the COVID-19 pandemic, and extensive facility renovations. She oversaw an expansion of the organization’s core meal service program, which now reaches four times as many clients as in 2018 and prepares and delivers more than 55,000 fresh meals each year. Extensive use of client surveys uncovered new priorities and unmet needs and informed the launch of initiatives including a client-choice-centered and culturally-appropriate Stock the Pantry program; a Vaccination Drive for clients, staff, and volunteers; a Fan Club that delivers fans in the summer and heaters in the winter; and increased food rescue partnerships. As a leader in the community, she convened other Meals on Wheels programs and worked with the City of Takoma Park to re-institute the Takoma Providers Council.
Masterson said, “We worked hard, we grew and we adapted: through a merger with another Meals on Wheels program, a global pandemic, and the threats to nonprofits and agencies during the current administration – all in quick succession. Through it all, we remained committed to our homebound neighbors, to our vision of a more interconnected, more compassionate, and more resilient community, to our mission of nourishing our community, and to our core program of the preparation and delivery of healthy delicious meals. It’s been an amazing and wonderful experience; I will miss everyone and carry great memories to my next position. I trust our volunteers, our staff, and our local community to carry our mission into the future!”
The board of directors is working with Third Sector to appoint an interim director while a search for a permanent successor continues. To apply for the executive director position, visit apply.workable.com/mowtakoma. The organization relies on community members to volunteer as kitchen assistants, meal delivery drivers and more. Interested volunteers can apply at www.mowtakoma.org/volunteer.