Six months after the death of the woman who founded it, Norma Todd’s Lunch Break has named a new executive director.
The volunteer outfit on Drs. Parker Boulevard in Red Bank that provides a hot meal a day to anyone who wants one, no questions asked, has chosen Gwendolyn O. Love of Howell for the job, today’s Asbury Park Press reports.
“Gwen has over 20 years of experience dealing with the public, including recruiting and organizing community volunteers, which will be vital as she leads Lunch Break on its mission to give support to those in need,” said Memone Crystian, vice president of Lunch Break’s board of trustees.
Love has her work cut out for her, as more people are turning to Lunch Break for help and as a resource in the current economic crisis, Crystian said.
Love comes to Lunch Break from the Affordable Housing Alliance of N.J., where she was director of administration. Prior to that, she was community director for Neptune’s Midtown Neighborhood Empowerment Program and Neighborhood Preservation Program.
Love held various positions in Neptune on the Planning Board, Board of Architectural Review, Zoning Board and Economic Development Corporation earlier in her career. A mother of four and grandmother of three, Love resides in Howell with her husband of 33 years and is a member of Macedonia Baptist Church of Lakewood.
Todd died in April at age 87. She co-founded Lunch Break 25 years ago with a group of people associated with different churches. Todd rose to lead the organization, and she soon became the voice for Lunch Break and its clients.
