Betty Bradley to Retire

Bradley directs daily operations for a team of 700 volunteers that prepare and deliver 1,600 meals each weekday in Abilene and the nearby communities of Anson, Aspermont, Ballinger, Eula, Hamby, Hamlin, Hawley, Hodges, Lawn, Ovalo, Potosi, Rowena, Tuscola and Winters.

“Betty has been an institution in Abilene,” Reed Stafford of Abilene, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said.  “After five decades of commitment and leadership, we honor not only her years of service but also the profound difference she has made in the lives of the people we serve each day.

“Fifty years of leadership is more than a career; it’s a legacy of serving others, and we thank Betty for the immeasurable impact she has made on our community,” Stafford added. “We look forward to seeing her legacy continue for another 50 years.”

Ellie Hollander, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels America, said Bradley’s retirement marks the close of an extraordinary era for Meals on Wheels Plus of Abilene and the Meals on Wheels national network.  “Betty built a lasting legacy of compassion, leadership and service that has touched countless lives in the Abilene community and inspired leaders across the country,” Hollander added.  “Her pioneering impact on the Meals on Wheels movement will continue to be felt for generations to come.”

Jenny Young, Chief Membership Officer and Chief of Staff at Meals on Wheels America, said “be like Betty” is a catch phrase at the national office in Arlington, Va.  “Betty’s legacy has us all in awe at Meals on Wheels America,” Young said.  “We wish her well as she transitions into retirement.”

“I have been blessed to be able to play a small role in Meals on Wheels over the past 51 years,” Bradley said.  “I have met so many wonderful volunteers, donors, board members, staff members and community members who contributed to the program’s success.”

She added, “It has been an honor to be part of Meals on Wheels as it worked to drive away hunger for thousands of frail, at-risk individuals.  To see friendships form between caring volunteers delivering a hot meal and homebound individuals who won’t see anyone else all day has been a blessing.”

A native of Colorado, Bradley began her tenure as the unpaid volunteer leader of Meals on Wheels at its official beginning in 1975 after it started as a pilot program of the Community Action Program serving 85 clients.  She directed the daily operations of an organization that celebrated one million meals served in 1989, moved into its new building in 2004, and marked 50 years of service last year with more than nine million meals served.

Bradley was a charter member and officer of Meals on Wheels Association of Texas, one of three founding members of Food Bank of West Central Texas, and an active member of St. Paul United Methodist Church.  Her career with Meals on Wheels began in 1973 when she registered with Abilene’s Church Women United to deliver meals.

Today volunteers in Meals on Wheels Plus deliver meals on more than 100 routes in Abilene and 14 other communities.

Stafford said a search will be conducted for a new executive director “to ensure the continuation of the success of the program.”

For more information, please contact Reed Stafford at  325.670.6784

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