Meals on Wheels Staff
Meals on Wheels Key Staff
Meals on Wheels Programs and Services, Inc. has been improving the quality of life for aging Rockland County residents for more than four decades.
Current leadership is keeping Meal on Wheels on the forefront of delivering critical services to the community. We invite you to participate in our important mission and to contact any member of the leadership team to learn more about how we, together, can make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
Kevin Hardy
Kevin Hardy became the CEO and President of Meals on Wheels in February of 2020, after serving on the Board of Directors since 2017, holding positions as both Governance Chair and Vice Chairman of the Board. Kevin led Meals On Wheels through the challenges of the global pandemic and continues to uphold the amazing organization in the aftermath.
Before Meals On Wheels, Kevin served as the vice-president of a private security firm for over fourteen years. He is very active in the community, having also served on the boards of the American Cancer Society and Leadership Rockland, as well as serving as President for the Pearl River Chamber of Commerce. Kevin has deep family roots in Rockland County, which reach back to the early 1700s. He and his family has owned and operated KLS Transportation since 2006.
Kevin has given notable dedication to the New City Rotary, where he also served as President. He was awarded the Paul Harris Award, which recognizes individual’s contribution to The Rotary Foundation. He also has been an organizer of the New City Rotary Wine and Food Festival, which has remarkably raised over $100,000 since its inception.
Marion Elkins
Marion Elkins joined Meals on Wheels in 2014, tasked with being the Director of Finance, and managing the organization’s nearly $4 million budget. Marion is charged with administrating the funding from contracted services and fundraising along with local, state, and federal programs, as well as overseeing the agency’s purchasing, IT, and office management.
Prior to Meals On Wheels, Marion spent most of her career in public accounting, managing audits for many not-for-profit organizations in the tristate area. She serves as treasurer for the Demarest Mill Condo Association, which is the office condo complex, where Meals on Wheels offices and commissary are located.
Sharon Martini
Sharon Martini has been with Meals on Wheels Rockland since 2013. As the Director of Development and Community Engagement, Sharon creates and implements strategies to further the organization’s goals and to fund our current and future programs for Home Delivered Meals and Senior Activity Centers. Sharon is charged with making community and corporate connections for both short and long term endeavors. She is the founder of numerous collaborations that have benefited older adults, cancer patients and those who are food insecure. Her passion for the Meals on Meals mission and her knowledge of and compassion for our clients’ needs goes a long way in meeting or exceeding development objectives.
Previously, Sharon was Director of Home Delivered meals, where she ran the day-to-day operation for the Home Delivered Meal Program, Social Work and Transportation. Sharon has achieved success in recruiting and retaining over 400 volunteers, and running special programs such as Blizzard Boxes and the Mutts and Meows Pet Pantry. Sharon's past professional
Amy Bianco
Amy Bianco has been with Meals on Wheels Rockland since spring 2020, and moved from Human Resources to Operations in 2022. She directs the day-to-day running of the facility and operation, focusing on optimizing assets and increasing productivity, ensuring that all clients are taken care of and satisfied. Amy believes in the importance of Meals On Wheels, claiming “the most basic human need is to feel valued, appreciated, and service to others is the most direct way one can achieve that feeling”.
Amy is a long time Rockland resident, who raised her family in the county. She became the Director of Purchasing with Dominican University, and prides herself on her role in establishing their finance department, by implementing a centralized system to utilize negotiated supply contracts, manage departmental budgets to drive compliance of policies and procedures. Amy feels volunteering was a critical part of her career, and even led her to Meals On Wheels. She is a past board member of the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center and a current board member of the MOM Foundation, along with a coach for soccer, tee ball, and cheerleading.
James Botelho
James Bothelo joined the Meals on Wheels of Rockland team in 2022 as the Director of Food Services. In this role, James oversees the Food Service Operation of a high volume Commissary Kitchen, serving an average of 1,000 meals per day to local seniors in Rockland County and North Bergen, New Jersey. Additionally, James helps to develop monthly cycle menus that adhere to nutritional dietary guidelines for senior adults, while also managing commissary purchasing of various supplies. James regulates menu costing, and manages his culinary staff, including the oversight of staff scheduling, hiring, training and development.
In his previous professional experience, James has held an assortment of positions in food service, such as at SUNY Purchase College, Nyack College, Fort Washington Expo Center, Princeton Hotel and Conference Center, and Peacock Inn.
Gitty Blachman
Gitty Blachman is the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Meals on Wheels Rockland. She supervises menu planning and conducts nutrition analysis on meals to insure they meet the special needs of older adults. She provides nutritional counseling, develops a monthly nutrition newsletter and conducts nutrition education programs at our Senior Activity Centers.
When not advising our Senior’s menus, Gitty can be found enjoying gardening, cooking and hiking. Gitty is happy to have a part in helping older adults as she learns so much from them.
Beth Coleman
As Meals on Wheels Marketing and Communication Specialist, Beth Coleman develops strategies to promote the agency and its missions. She utilizes all the resources available to ensure the community, volunteers, donors and other supporters are aware of Meals on Wheels efforts, events, services and opportunities. Beth joined Meals on Wheels in this role in 2022 after a long career in the media industry overseeing Ad Sales Research and Consumer Insights departments.
Finding new ways to connect our neighbors and raise awareness for Rockland Seniors and their needs is a challenge Beth enjoys tackling. There are so many stories to tell and lessons to share, which makes the job constantly engaging. Raised in Rockland and now raising her family here, Beth is passionate about contributing and helping to make sure this community is focused on caring for the generation that cared for us.
Gail Doroff
I joined Meals on Wheels in 2016 as a volunteer after retiring from owning a pre-school and camp in Rockland County. From there I moved into the position of Intake Coordinator. Much of my past experience was with assisting families and their children in gaining access to available county services. After moving my parents from Florida, I had to learn how to navigate the many services available to them in the area. While helping them, I realized that seniors and their families need a great deal of assistance to fully understand their options. Soon after I began working at Meals on Wheels, I realized that I had found a perfect fit – I was helping seniors get meals and services they needed so desperately. Please do not hesitate to call for information on assistance that may be available. I will always take the time to direct you to the right person or agency for your needs.
Jeanette Suarez
As Lead Case Worker for Meals On Wheels, Jeanette Suarez focuses on the safety and wellness of clients. Jeanette is tasked with the process of intakes, which assess the health and support of Meals On Wheels clients. Jeannette insures that when a change of condition in a meal recipient is reported or learned of from a telephone reassurance call that the recipients’ needs are addressed and necessary referrals are made, tapping a variety of resources and services to achieve this. She also meets with participants of the Meals On Wheels Senior Activity Centers, in order to provide both a face-to face-connection and counseling.
The mission of Meals On Wheels aligns directly with Jeanette’s values, specifically protection of the vulnerable. She aims to destigmatize the overlooking of the elderly, and is passionate about the efforts of her organization, as she believes, “here at Meals on Wheels older adults are not overlooked, but rather seen, heard, and celebrated”. Jeanette is very involved in her church, being a pastor’s wife, including the oversight of the children’s ministry.
Joseph Soto
Joseph Soto, is currently serving as a Caseworker at Meals on Wheels. He previously was the Volunteer Coordinator. He graduated from St John's University in 2021, obtaining a degree in Psychology.
As a Caseworker with a background as a Volunteer Coordinator, he has been involved in the coordination and supervision of volunteer activities, recognizing the essential role they play in supporting senior citizens in need. One of Joseph's current crucial responsibilities is overseeing Telephone Reassurance, a program aimed at providing safety checks, referrals, and face-to-face meetings at the Senior Activity Center. Joseph's ultimate goal is to touch as many lives as possible and make a significant difference in the lives of senior citizens by combating their feelings of loneliness. Wheels.
Denise Tanksley
Joining the team in 2022, Denise Tanksley is responsible for the logistics for the Home Delivered Meals team. This includes all the volunteer programs that support and enhance the lives of the meals recipients. Her personal favorite program is the Pet Pal pantry because it helps Seniors keep their best friends, their pets, at home with them.
Denise’s background is in data analytics. She came to Meals on Wheels after having dedicated her time as caretaker to her Mom and realizing how much support our community’s Seniors need. When Denise is not at work, she spends time in her Rockland home with her family and enjoys crafting and cooking.
Michael Zayas
Michael Zayas has been the Volunteer Coordinator with Meals on Wheels of Rockland since 2022. In his position, Michael coordinates all volunteers, including drivers for home delivery and commissary assistants, who help with meal preparation and packaging. As Michael says, he “helps people help people”. Michael is great at rallying the troops which is the army of over 700 volunteers that are vital to our operation. Michael believes Meals on Wheels is a great organization, and finds it especially important to help vulnerable populations, such as those benefitted by Meals On Wheels.
Michael has a background in restaurant management, and works on a committee to assist Rockland County Boy Scouts with their Eagle Scout projects. In his free time, Michael plays in a band in restaurants around Rockland.