Her career makes life better for those with little

A MOVEABLE FEAST: In making changes in the delivery system as well as the types of food the program serves, Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island Executive Director Heather Amaral has responded to client needs, and is committed to continue updating the program to better serve the community. / PBN PHOTO/FRANK MULLIN
A MOVEABLE FEAST: In making changes in the delivery system as well as the types of food the program serves, Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island Executive Director Heather Amaral has responded to client needs, and is committed to continue updating the program to better serve the community. / PBN PHOTO/FRANK MULLIN

Heather Amaral, executive director of Meals on Wheels of Rhode Island, applied creative, innovative solutions to problems when she took over the nonprofit in 2010.
When Amaral couldn’t provide raises, she instituted alternative morale boosters, such as organizing a dinner for her volunteers to compensate them for their efforts.
When the program’s regular caterer passed away, she not only found a replacement but saved money by changing the meal delivery system without lowering the quality of the food. She switched from hot meals to chilled meals in easier-to-use containers after learning seniors don’t always eat their Meals on Wheels entree as soon as it is dropped off.
Replacing an executive director who had been at the agency for 20 years was another challenge.
“She’s taken control so well we didn’t need to worry,” said Michael Gianfrancesco, chairman of the Meals on Wheels of RI board of directors.
Gianfrancesco said Amaral has dedicated her career to working in nonprofits, with an emphasis on taking care of the elderly, repeatedly turning down more lucrative jobs to do so. At Meals on Wheels RI, she supervises 30 staff members, approximately 1,000 volunteers and a $3 million budget. The program covers the entire state, serving 33,000 meals to 2,500 people per day.
Board member Alicia J. Samolis said in her nomination letter, “Ms. Amaral has continuously impressed me with her ability to handle sometimes difficult vendors and employment issues. She has used the correct mix of firmness and delicateness to make improvements without causing distress to employees accustomed to long-standing policies.”
Amaral’s innovations – Samolis noted – have included implementing services never before offered. As an example, in February, Amaral started a Valentine’s Day Card program for MOWRI clients. Local students created the greeting cards to accompany the meals. For some of the seniors, it was the only recognition of the special day they would receive.
Amaral said she considered a career in public administration. She earned an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Her first job, at a nonprofit serving intellectually and developmentally delayed individuals, altered her thinking. “I was able to see what’s important when you are on the other side of the desk,” she said.
She became director of Meals on Wheels in Nashville. There, she led 80 staff, 1,400 volunteers and managed a budget of more than $2 million in a 13-county region.
She and her husband moved back to Rhode Island in 2009. The executive director’s position with MOWRI was a perfect fit, but it was not without difficulties.
“I came in at a very challenging time for most nonprofits,” she said. “The whole world of funding had been shaken up. Not just public funding. Foundation funding is based on their portfolios.”
She developed a new philosophy of increased publicity. “Through the press, TV, radio, talk radio, we would push to get the word out,” she said. “And that has worked.”
Amaral will continue to make Meals on Wheels RI a better program. “I want to keep MOWRI relevant. Changing the meals, changing the delivery options. We want to keep changing along with the seniors we serve.”

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