Richard Ayoub: CEO at Project Angel Food, Los Angeles

POH-Frank:  You were born in El Paso, and you had a very successful career in media. Are there any childhood memories that shaped who you are and what you do today?

Richard: Yes. My mother, in her own way, was a philanthropist. She saved newspapers for poor people to sell so they could make money. She would literally give her last dollar to someone if they needed it. When I was a child, she found out about a little girl who had been burned and needed a burn center—there wasn’t one in El Paso at the time. She somehow connected herself with the state senator, Tati Santiesteban, became friendly with him, and said, “You need to fly this girl to Houston,” where the burn center was.

And she made it happen. That was the kind of person she was. When she saw a need, she acted. Everything I do in philanthropy is rooted in my mother’s heart.

When I was 10, I wanted a new pair of sneakers. I didn’t need them—I just wanted them because all the other kids had them. She said okay, we got in the car, and we drove past the shopping center. Then past everything familiar. We crossed the border into Juarez, Mexico—El Paso is right on the border—and we kept going until we entered the garbage dump.

She didn’t say a word. She just had me look. People were living in cardboard shacks. Years later she told me that I said, “But Mom… how can I help all those people?” Obviously I didn’t get my shoes.  And here I am decades later—helping people.

POH-Frank: But you didn’t start in the nonprofit world. You began in journalism and entertainment. Are there chapters from that life you’re using now as a nonprofit leader? Anything you learned specifically?

Richard: Absolutely. I got into television news to make a difference in my small part of the world. At its purest, TV news is altruistic. It’s a watchdog of the government, and it gives a voice to the underdog. That’s why I went into it.

But as I advanced in that career, I felt like I wasn’t being fulfilled in that way. So I asked the universe, “Is there something else I can do to make the world a better place?”

Ten years ago—yesterday, actually—I started working at Project Angel Food. A friend of mine called me and asked if I wanted to be the interim executive director.

On paper it makes no sense: a TV producer running a charity. But if you rewind my life, you start to see how it makes sense.

When I was 19, I started a committee to raise money for an Olympic-level gymnast from El Paso who couldn’t afford to go to the Olympics. I saw a news story—that’s where TV news does its best work: it inspires action.

I formed this committee with a city council member, a banker, a PR person—we raised money, we organized exhibitions in malls where she did trampoline demos.

And then came a key lesson in fundraising. Her mother came to me and said, “Pam needs a trampoline. She doesn’t have a coach, she needs it to train. I asked how much it cost. She said $800. That was a lot of money back then. It still is.

So I put together a list of business owners in El Paso and started cold calling. My mother always taught me: “Don’t talk to someone on the phone—meet them in person. It’s harder to say no in person.”

The first person I called owned the number-one radio station. He agreed to meet me in person. I told him about the trampoline and the need. He asked how much it was. I said $800.

I walked out with a check for $800.

POH-Frank: You really have persistence, and you know how to do it. You learned it through your work—being a good talker and a very charming person.

Richard: I think if you have a mission—something concrete—people can wrap their head around it. And I walked in knowing I was going to get some kind of donation. 

And today at Project Angel Food, when we have an event, I go out saying, “We need to buy grocery cards for people who lost SNAP benefits.” I make that pitch. And we raise money for it.

It’s very interesting: if you tell the universe what you need, I truly believe the universe conspires to make it happen.

POH-Frank: Project Angel Food was born in 1989 during the AIDS crisis, initiated by Marianne Williamson and a community of healers and activists. What does that origin story mean to you personally?

Richard: I started a small nonprofit 24 years ago. My friends and I adopted an elementary school. We took 50 kids to Disneyland every year, then added Career Day and other events. So I had some nonprofit experience.

I was also on the board of The Trevor Project for many years—you can’t argue with that mission: preventing gay and questioning teens from committing suicide.

Project Angel Food was born in 1989, just a year before I arrived in LA. As long as I’ve been here, it has been here. Project Angel Food has taken care of friends—friends we lost, friends who are still with us.

I’ve attended events. I always knew this organization and respected it. It was the darling charity of Los Angeles. It’s where Elizabeth Taylor came, where David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Bette Midler, Shirley MacLaine, Whoopi Goldberg, Sharon Stone—all these Hollywood stars supported the organization.

They helped it blossom. Marianne Williamson founded it, helping get food to people dying of AIDS—and most importantly, bringing them love.

Because when you’re knocking on someone’s door…and you’re bringing them something that sustains them—it’s love. It’s the human connection. It’s saying: “Someone cares about you.” It’s love.

So when I was approached to be the interim executive director, I was honored. My call was answered—the call I had sent to the universe. And it came in the form of a phone call. I had to say “yes”. Most people—smarter people, more analytical people—would say, “Can I see your budgets? Who’s on the board? What’s your strategic plan?”  I did none of that. I said “yes” because my heart and my soul told me “yes”. Then I thought, “Oh God, what did I just do?” And I thought: “There’s no way this board is going to pick a producer.”

But guess what? They did pick this producer. And it makes sense. A producer knows communication. I can communicate. I can talk in soundbites, I know people in the media.  I’ve worked with celebrities and I know celebrities help cut through the clutter. 

POH-Frank: So, coming back to what Project Angel Food does: it obviously started during the HIV crisis. Today you’re serving a much wider group, especially with these medically tailored meals. Was that a natural development because there were fewer HIV cases? Or did you consciously decide, “We want to expand and help more people”? What was the idea behind that shift?

Richard: The trajectory was this: fewer people were dying of AIDS, and more were living with HIV. Then HIV became more manageable.

So in 2004—long before I got here—the organization had to decide:

Are we going to stay small?
Are we going to get gobbled up by another organization?
Or are we going to share this gift that we developed in the dark days of AIDS with everyone in LA County who is sick, hungry, and alone?

We chose to expand. We started helping people with cancer, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, kidney failure, and HIV/AIDS.

Because food is medicine, we have registered dietitians creating menus to improve health outcomes. For people with diabetes, their A1C and blood sugar levels go down when they receive our diabetic meals.For those with renal disease or kidney failure, we reduce potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. How someone at home could cook like that is beyond me. It takes our registered dietitians working closely with our chefs to get the right portions and nutrition.

POH-Frank: Is there one story you can share that really touched you—where you felt, in all the suffering in a big city like LA and in the world, that you truly made a difference for that person?

Richard: We have 3,500 clients we take care of every day, so there are thousands of stories. One in particular stands out.

All of the medical professionals around this client were talking about death—“when you die…”—constantly. She was convinced she was dying.

Then someone referred her to Project Angel Food. She started talking with our dietitians, and she said it was the first time anyone talked to her about living, not dying.

She literally said: “I went from my deathbed to dancing in my living room.”

Just that connection—with someone who cared enough to talk about her living today, tomorrow, and however many days she has left—changed her attitude, her life, and her whole approach to living.

POH-Frank: Is there any kind of ongoing dialogue within the program—not exactly counseling, but communication with the clients? Or is it that once they’re set up in the system, they just get deliveries? 

Richard: Because we deliver meals every single week to their homes, we have professional drivers and volunteer drivers who report back. In fact, I delivered meals yesterday. There was one particular client where it felt like something was going on—there was a foul odor in the apartment—and I reported it to Client Services.

They, in turn, reported it to the social worker. So we’re constantly giving feedback to the people who need to know. We see our clients weekly, so we can tell if they’ve lost weight, gained weight, become depressed, or if something else has changed in their lives.

We also have Client Services checking in and making phone calls, and we have something called “Telephone Angels”—volunteers who call and become telephone buddies with some of our clients.

Our registered dietitians also check in depending on the illness. There’s a full nutrition assessment at the beginning, and then they’ll follow up at three, six, or nine months, and see how the client is doing.

They give clients their phone number and say, “If you ever have any questions, feel free to call us. We are here for you.” Most of our clients have never talked to anyone about diet or nutrition before. This is the first time they’ve had that opportunity—and it’s a game-changer for them.

POH-Frank: Talking about volunteers: first, there’s the healing power of food, which you explained so beautifully. But I’d also love to explore the healing power of volunteering. I feel like we’re living in times where people feel lost and helpless.

What effect do you see on the volunteers themselves? Is there healing power not only for the clients, but also for the volunteers?

Richard: Absolutely. During times of trouble, we see an influx of volunteers.

When the LA fires happened, 8,000 people reached out wanting to volunteer.We had to start an online scheduling system we didn’t have before—we just couldn’t keep up. I was answering phones myself, and as soon as I hung up, another call came in: “We want to volunteer, when can we come?” It was crazy.

Annie Lennox, the superstar, came and thanked our volunteers and staff right after the fires. She made a substantial donation and has been very supportive. She said:

“Project Angel Food turns helplessness into hope.” And that’s exactly what happens. When you feel helpless, when you don’t like what’s happening in Washington, or in the world, or in your neighborhood, you come to a place like Project Angel Food—because Project Angel Food brings out the best in LA.

You immediately see the impact of your work. If you can’t give money, you can give your time. Most of our volunteers are young people who can’t make huge donations, but they want to make an impact and a difference.

When you see the meals coming down the line, being trayed and sealed, you feel: “Wow, we just made 3,500 meals today. How incredible is that?” Your impact is very immediate.

POH-Frank: You’ve been dealing with hunger, poverty, and despair for so long. Sometimes that kind of work can dim people’s spirit. It can feel like an endless battle—like when people say, “I can’t feed India,” and feel overwhelmed.

Is there something you personally do in those moments when you feel you’re not doing enough, or when your light gets a bit dim from seeing so much suffering?

Do you have practices that help you, or do you feel, “I am doing enough”? Because many people think, “I’m not doing enough, so why even bother to start?”

Richard: No.

I’m blessed that just by showing up for work, I’m helping 3,000 lives. Every day. And when I deliver meals, I know: I got up, took a shower, came to work, picked up the meals, drove to this person’s house, and delivered them.

During all that time, that person was at home—waiting for someone to bring them food.

So I feel gratitude for my health, and I feel gratitude from them.

If I ever feel sorry for myself or feel down, going out and delivering meals is the best thing I can do. I’ve delivered in West Hollywood, my own neighborhood. I went into buildings I’d never been in. You never know what’s happening behind those doors—what suffering or experiences people are going through.

You never know how people are being impacted. I always say:

“When you see the shades drawn in someone’s house, and you don’t see them come out, you wonder what’s going on.” They’re probably one of our clients. They’re probably in a wheelchair, or using a walker, or bed-bound—and they can’t come out.

That’s why we have to come to them. We have to be the friend who doesn’t check in anymore, the family who lives too far away. We have to be that human being they look forward to seeing every single week. It gives them a reason to dress up. We see people dress up—because they’re going to have a visitor.

And we’re that visitor.

POH-Frank: I’ve been volunteering with you guys for a while, and sometimes I feel… it can be overwhelming.You go into certain apartments, you see the poverty, or an old man opening the door, and you look into their space and think: “Wow, they really live in despair.”

And that can really bring you down, too. Do you have any advice—what would you say someone should do? Of course, gratitude is one thing, but is it just “keep going”? Because it must also take a lot of energy to do all of  this.

Richard: It can. And you have to have self-care.You have to do things for yourself. If you’re seeing too much despair, you have to change that cycle. You have to take a break from it for a while. For example, I went on a two-week vacation this year. I hadn’t done that in a very long time. I went to Europe. Lori Jean, who used to be the CEO of the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, once told me how she unplugs. She said:

“I take a two-week vacation. The first week, I’m still processing things from work. It’s not until the second week that I actually start relaxing. So I always do two weeks.”

I remembered that, and that’s why I did it. She also said she goes to Europe—so it’s very hard for people to call her or pull her back in.

POH-Frank: If there’s one wish—one prayer—for the future of Project Angel Food, what would it be? Is there a vision or dream you truly hope will happen? Beyond simply raising more money—do you have a deeper wish for the organization?

Richard: It would be very naive to say, “I wish we didn’t exist, I wish we weren’t needed.”

People will always get sick. People will always need food. And people will always need human connection. So my wish is that Project Angel Food will continue to grow to fulfill that need:

For us to have a satellite kitchen on the East Side. For us to be able to serve more and more people.

I’d love for us to partner with someone—or maybe even do it ourselves—and have something in the Coachella Valley, in Palm Springs. There’s a big need there in Riverside County, in Orange County. There are so many areas that don’t have a Project Angel Food.

There are so many people getting out of the hospital who could use meals grounded in research that will help them get better. There are food banks everywhere, and I love food banks. But if you have diabetes and you’re given the wrong food, it can make you worse.

That’s why more Project Angel Foods need to pop up. That’s my wish.

POH-Frank: And one more question, very generally: you’ve been serving the community for so long. What has this work taught you—about humanity and about love?

Richard: Me, personally?

POH-Frank: Yes.

Richard: It’s either in you, or it isn’t. I remember when I first started. I had never run a nonprofit. It was a $3.8 million nonprofit at the time. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was working with a fundraising advisor,  I felt like I was screwing up, like I didn’t know what to do.

And then I realized: be yourself. It’s all about relationships. Of course they have to like the nonprofit, and care about it. But they like you.

People are giving to Richard.

Yes, it’s Project Angel Food—but I am the instrument facilitating these donations. And it’s not just me. It’s Brad, and Mark, and Alex, and the people who make up Project Angel Food.

It’s a relationship thing. So I decided: make it organic. Make it genuine. And to this day, that’s my gift—that I am probably just authentic.

And my heart is in it. And that heart is Norma Ayoub’s heart—my mom. That’s where I got it, and that’s what continues to feed me and fuel me every day.

POH-Frank: Thank you Richard for your time, and the light you shine on so many people.

Richard: Thank you for including me.