HONORING A MEALS ON WHEELS LEADER COMMITTED TO COMBATING SENIOR ISOLATION AND HUNGER WITH COMPASSION, LOVE AND RESPECT
August 28, 2018 – Meals on Wheels America today announced Jayne C. McQueen, President and CEO of Mobile Meals of Spartanburg, SC, as the recipient of the inaugural Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award. New in 2018, the Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award was established 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 dietician, Sister Alice Marie – 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.
With Sister Alice Marie’s legacy in mind, this award honors a current leader in the Meals on Wheels network who embodies her compassion, dedication and contribution, and who works to unite and advance the nationwide Meals on Wheels movement. Meals on Wheels America Members were invited to submit nominations in June of 2018. A review committee narrowed the field of nominees before the Meals on Wheels America Board of Directors voted on the final selection.
“For more than 41 years, Jayne McQueen has committed herself to serving the most vulnerable seniors of Spartanburg County, South Carolina with her whole heart, just as Sister Alice Marie Quinn did for the seniors of Los Angeles,” said Ellie Hollander, President and CEO, Meals on Wheels America. “I am thrilled to be able to honor Jayne for her visionary leadership and effectiveness, and her incredible contributions to the Meals on Wheels movement.”
“I am humbled to be honored with this special award that carries the name of my dear friend, Sister Alice Marie Quinn,” said Jayne McQueen, President and CEO, Mobile Meals of Spartanburg. “Her work was an inspiration to many and fed thousands of souls spiritually and physically.”
The 2018 Sister Alice Marie Quinn Award was presented during the Meals on Wheels Annual Conference and Expo on Tuesday, August 28, in Charlotte, NC, in front of leaders and staff of nearly 350 local Meals on Wheels programs from across the country.
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ABOUT JAYNE C. McQUEEN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, MOBILE MEALS OF SPARTANBURG
Jayne has been committed to combatting senior isolation and hunger for more than 40 years. With her caring and compassionate vision, Mobile Meals of Spartanburg began in 1977 and has since grown considerably, delivering 1,100 meals each day on 120 routes throughout the urban and rural areas of Spartanburg County with the help of more than 130 committed volunteers. Under Jayne’s leadership, Mobile Meals was recognized as a model program for the nation by President Reagan’s Commission on Aging and received the first “Spirit of Freedom” award from Congressman Jim DeMint. In 2007, Jayne was presented with the Order of the Palmetto – South Carolina’s highest civilian honor awarded for extraordinary lifetime service and achievements. Not only is she committed to addressing senior hunger and isolation in her own community, she has served on the Meals on Wheels America and Foundation Boards, contributing her talents and experience to propel the national Meals on Wheels movement.
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 a staff of 74, boasts a network of more than 300 volunteers, and produces upwards of 3,000 meals daily serving over 1,900 of LA’s most vulnerable older adults, and providing meals to a number of other local Meals on Wheels programs. Sister Alice Marie’s groundbreaking work in the field of senior nutrition and combatting hunger has not gone unnoticed; among the accolades both she and St. Vincent Meals on Wheels have garnered are 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 in 2013, the Los Angeles City Council declared the day before Thanksgiving as St. Vincent Meals on Wheels Day in LA.
ABOUT MEALS ON WHEELS AMERICA
Meals on Wheels America is the leadership organization supporting the more than 5,000 community-based programs across the country that are dedicated to addressing senior isolation and hunger. This network serves virtually every community in America and, along with more than two million staff and volunteers, delivers the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that enable America’s seniors to live nourished lives with independence and dignity. By providing funding, leadership, education, research and advocacy support, Meals on Wheels America empowers its local member programs to strengthen their communities, one senior at a time.
Press Contacts:
Jenny Bertolette Young
Meals on Wheels America
571-339-1603
jenny@mealsonwheelsamerica.org
Susan Spires
Mobile Meals of Spartanburg
864-909-4700
Susan@mobile-meals.org