Darren Daly. (Posted photo)
Live Oak — With over 10 years of community development experience in a variety of fields, both nationally and internationally, Darren Dailey returned to the Central Coast and was recently appointed Director of Meals on Wheels in Santa Cruz County.
Daley started her new job on June 20, overseeing a local branch of an international organization that delivers meals to the elderly at home. He will take over the reins from Lisa Berkowitz, who will retire at the end of August after 44 years with the organization.
During that time, Daly said he enjoyed getting to know all the members of Meals on Wheels and its parent organization, Community Bridges.
“Everyone I’ve met within the wider Community Bridge agency and Meal on Wheels program has been so warm, receptive and supportive,” he said. “This only strengthens what I’ve been feeling about this organization and my decision to join.”
Daly also likes working with Berkowitz. Berkowitz began working as Food Service Director under the Golden Age Nutrition Program, the predecessor of Meals on Wheels. According to a Community Bridges news release, Meals on Wheels has served more than 10 million meals during her leadership period, serving residents in times of need, from the 1982 floods to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and CZU lightning facility fires, rising food inflation costs in 2022, and winter storms and floods earlier this year.
“I am extremely grateful to Lisa and her contributions to the organization and community in a career spanning 44 years,” said Daley. “I think everything she’s done is really amazing.”
Daly grew up in Boise, Idaho, attended Arizona State University, where he studied Spanish, spent a year in Spain and a semester in Mexico. In graduate school, she studied public administration in non-profit management at the Middlebury International Institute in Monterey. From 2012 until 2020, she was the Program Manager and then Executive Director of the Laos-based Global People and Environment Association, focusing on food security and environmental sustainability in Southeast Asia.
“I’ve been working on food security issues both in the United States and abroad for over a decade,” he said. “I have also spent a lot of time working with various nonprofits abroad, and I am very excited to be returning to Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz County and contributing to the community here.”
Daley said he sees the position as an opportunity to become part of a larger organization, continue to work on food security issues, and join an organization with a strong reputation.
“It’s great to be part of this organization and the wider body of Community Bridges,” he said. “They are providing an invaluable service to our community, especially seniors in Santa Cruz County, which is meal-in-the-car.”
Dailey said he hopes to continue the work that has been done under Berkowitz’s leadership and expand the provision of medically tailored meals. One of his priorities is finding a new home for Meals on Wheels. Its administrative offices, kitchen and dining room will be off the Live Oak property as the property owner, Live Oak School District, plans to develop an area for employee housing.
“That’s an important goal we’re working towards,” he said.
In terms of increasing access to funding, Daily said the organization will continue to work with partners to expand its volunteer services network.
“This is a very important aspect of our program and we actually have about 50 volunteers working with us,” he said. “Their support is very meaningful to our work.”
Community Bridges CEO Ray Cancino praised the hiring in a statement.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Darren to our organization,” he wrote. “After decades of strong oversight and leadership from Lisa Berkowitz, who has led the program, his experience, strong commitment to food insecurity and deep commitment to helping the elderly is what is needed.”
Learn more about Meals on Wheel here. Communitybridges.org/mealsonwheels/.
