Betty Bradley Honored with 2026 Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award

Abilene, TX – August 24, 2026 – Meals on Wheels America announced Betty Bradley, executive director of Meals on Wheels Plus in Abilene, Texas, as the recipient of the 2026 Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award. This award was established in 2018 to celebrate the life and contributions of one of the Meals on Wheels network’s most respected and influential leaders of all time. A registered dietitian, Sister Alice Marie Quinn – affectionately known as SAM – founded St. Vincent Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles, CA, in 1977, and through her leadership and spirit, left an indelible mark on the national Meals on Wheels community.

Each year, this award honors a current leader of a local Meals on Wheels provider who embodies Sister Alice Marie’s legacy through compassion, dedication and contribution, and who works to unite and advance the nationwide Meals on Wheels movement. A field of many worthy nominees was narrowed before the Meals on Wheels America board of directors voted on the final selection. They sought to honor a leader who has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership – someone who has been able to provide direction in the face of incredible challenges and bring together staff, volunteers, the community, donors and supporters to provide critical nourishment, social connection and peace of mind to seniors in their community.

“Betty has spent 51 years building her program from the ground up, providing a range of services to meet the growing needs of older adults in her community. She has been a relentless advocate for Meals on Wheels at both the state and national level, embodying the spirit and dedication of Sister Alice Marie Quinn,” said Ellie Hollander, president and chief executive officer at Meals on Wheels America. “Betty has continued to fight for the seniors we serve, whether in Texas, where she helped secure a new funding stream and raise the provider meal rate for Meals on Wheels programs, or on Capitol Hill, where she fiercely defended the Social Services Block Grant from elimination, a critical funding source on which her program and many others depend. Betty is an example to us all!”

“I am deeply humbled to receive an award named for someone I admired so much,” Bradley said. “This recognition belongs to every volunteer, donor, board member and staff member who has been part of Meals on Wheels Plus over the past 51 years. They are the ones who showed up every day and made this program what it is.” Betty Bradley

The 2026 Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award was presented in Las Vegas, NV, during the 52nd Meals on Wheels Annual Conference and Expo in front of more than 800 local senior nutrition leaders, aging experts and national partners.

ABOUT BETTY BRADLEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MEALS ON WHEELS PLUS

Betty Bradley has led Meals on Wheels Plus in Abilene, TX, since the organization’s earliest days, becoming its first executive director in 1975 after two years of delivering meals herself as a volunteer. A native of Colorado, Bradley began her involvement in 1973 when she registered with Abilene’s Church Women United to deliver meals, then stepped into the leadership role the following year when the fledgling program, then serving roughly 80 clients with no office, no paid staff and meals sourced from three different locations around the city, could not find anyone else willing to take it on. Over 51 years at the helm, Bradley guided the organization past one million meals served in 1989, into its own building in 2004 and past nine million meals served by its 50th anniversary in 2025. Today, Meals on Wheels Plus delivers a freshly prepared lunch five days a week to more than 1,700 homebound individuals across Abilene and 14 surrounding communities, supported by 700 volunteers on more than 100 routes. Beyond the meal itself, Bradley expanded the program to include trained volunteer wellness checks, a Saturday meal and Groceries on Wheels for the most food-insecure clients, pet food and veterinary care for clients’ animals through a local partner, a Books on Wheels program with the local library, and free fans, space heaters and microwaves for clients in need. Bradley was a charter member and officer of the Meals on Wheels Association of Texas and one of three founding members of the Food Bank of West Central Texas. The sole executive director in Meals on Wheels Plus history, Bradley announced her retirement in 2026 after 51 years of service.

ABOUT SISTER ALICE MARIE QUINN, FOUNDER OF ST. VINCENT MEALS ON WHEELS

Sister Alice Marie Quinn, D.C., the founder and executive director of St. Vincent Meals on Wheels in Los Angeles, CA, and a former Meals on Wheels America board chair, passed away in June of 2017. Today, the program has grown to serve LA’s most vulnerable older adults and supply meals to a number of other local Meals on Wheels providers. Sister Alice Marie’s groundbreaking work in the field of senior nutrition and hunger has not gone unnoticed; among the accolades both she and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels have garnered include being a recipient of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) Silver Plate Award in 2006 for outstanding achievement in specialty food services, being named “Woman of the Year” in 1988 by the state of California and having the Los Angeles City Council declare the day before Thanksgiving as St. Vincent Meals on Wheels Day in LA in 2013.

ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA

Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting approximately 5,000 community-based providers across the country dedicated to addressing senior hunger and isolation. Powered by a trusted volunteer workforce, this network delivers a comprehensive solution that begins with a meal and is proven to enable independence and well-being through the additional benefits of tailored nutrition, social connection, safety and much more. Through public awareness, funding, programming, education, research and advocacy, Meals on Wheels America empowers local providers to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time. At a time when demand for Meals on Wheels services is growing, and many seniors are left waiting, Meals on Wheels America is dedicated to helping End the Wait®  and ensuring every senior who needs Meals on Wheels gets it. For more information, or to locate a Meals on Wheels provider near you, visit mealsonwheelsamerica.org. You can also find Meals on Wheels America on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok and X.

Press Contact: press@mealsonwheelsamerica.org

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