Aly Evans: Delivering compassion and a hot meal

Aly Evans, executive director at Foodnet Meals on Wheels, couldn’t see herself in a more fitting role.

“I love my job,” she said. “It’s a calling.”

Evans not only works with her staff of 26 employees to provide warm meals and other services for some of the county’s most vulnerable people, she also spends considerable time building a network with other members of the community.

“Through Aly’s leadership at Foodnet Meals on Wheels, I have developed a deep empathy for homebound and socially isolated older adults,” said Lara Parrilla, community and academic partnership manager at Cayuga Health System. “She has motivated me to think outside the box for solutions to big, thorny problems — problems that can only be tackled through strong collaboration.”

“Her compassion, enthusiasm and collaborative spirit inspire me every day,” said Cindy Wilcox, executive director of the Human Services Coalition of Tompkins County. “She’s so genuine in her desire to ‘do better for others,’ most especially our community’s seniors.”

Evans’ dedication to her community and her motivation to expand Foodnet’s services and build support for Meals on Wheels makes her a true Hometown Hero.  

Though her career went in several other directions prior to landing at Foodnet, Evans said she is “a nonprofit person.”

“I’m a mission-driven, flag-carrying person and have been my whole life from childhood,” she said. “I believe that that’s where the actual work happens to help the community. Not that for-profit corporations don’t matter, but it’s different when you’re focused on the human and how you can help the human.”

Evans has been with Foodnet for four years, having started out on the Foodnet Board of Directors.

“It’s amazing,” Evans said of the executive director role. “It’s very fun. It takes some of my food service experience and then a lot of my nonprofit and education and food-related focus and puts it all into one.”

“It’s challenging every day,” she said, “but the amazing team that we have, we work really hard to get the food out, and it helps people live their lives with dignity and age in place. That’s what it’s all about.”

Not only does Foodnet provide hot meals, the service allows the drivers who deliver the food the opportunity to check in on their clients. One person had a massive stroke and was first discovered by a Foodnet driver, who was able to get help.

“[The client] lived because someone cares,” Evans said. “Someone cares enough to know about an individual that they see every day.”

Another had a negative reaction to a change in medication, and the driver was able to identify that there was a problem and notify the client’s daughter.

To Evans, Foodnet is just one piece of the puzzle of helping people age well at home.

“We’re in Tompkins County. It’s a great community, but the resources for older adults are limited. They’re expensive. There aren’t a lot of beds in facilities or places where you can go that are age friendly. So, a lot of folks are staying in their homes for as long as they can, and they just need some help,” Evans said.

Foodnet also has a community dining program, where people aged 60 and older are invited out into the community for a free meal that they can enjoy together. The in-person interaction helps seniors avoid social isolation, which Evans said is a “huge problem,” especially after the pandemic.

For older generations, it can be difficult to connect through the internet, so opportunities to connect over a meal can be especially valuable, Evans said.

Orchestrating the delivery of almost 400 meals daily takes a high level of organization, and the food has to be on time.

“Some clients time their medication, their nap, their toileting, their bathing and doctors’ appointments around the meal delivery,” Evans said.

The staff makes the hot meals fresh in their kitchen on North Triphammer Road every morning.

“And the food’s delicious,” Evans said. “One of the perks of the job: you get to have some of the food every day. … This week we had meatloaf Italiano, and you could smell it from the parking lot.”

Taking a chance on a cross-country move

Ten years ago, Evans moved with her family from San Diego to Ithaca to work for CBORD in its education department.  

“At CBORD, the first thing I did was realize I needed to get back to the nonprofit world,” Evans said, “so I did volunteering right away.” She has volunteered for Dryden Dairy Days, Ithaca Underground, the Ithaca Rotary, the Compass Care Collaborative Board, the Tompkins Chamber and the United Way.

“All these boards and other volunteer opportunities, they’re just more ways to connect with people with big hearts and big brains to do better work together,” Evans said.  

“It’s always amazing to work with Aly,” said Sherri Koski, Ithaca Community Childcare Center executive director. “She immerses herself in bettering our community through her professional work and countless volunteer roles. Aly has a gift for gathering information and connecting people in ways that create real impact. She’s friendly, welcoming and forward-thinking, with an incredible ability to bring people together and spark positive change. Her dedication and vision truly make her a one-of-a-kind community leader.”

Originally from Denver, Colorado, Evans moved to San Diego, California after college and was director of education programs for the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

After CBORD, she worked for Boyce Thompson Institute, then the Family Reading Partnership, before stepping into her current role at Foodnet.

“When Foodnet’s executive director left the organization, the board asked Aly straight up to step into the role of ED,” said Kelly Buck, director of marketing & development at Unity House of Cayuga County.

“As a board member who truly believed in their mission, she was the perfect candidate,” Buck said. “No need to look any further. She has since more than fulfilled that role, reshaped it and guided Meals on Wheels forward with her outstanding leadership skills and dedication to the cause, her employees and the people they serve.”

Today, Evans leads a staff of 26, with a focus on creating a psychologically safe workspace.

“Our team is pretty honest, and everyone has a voice. I feel like people can come forward. We embrace folks,” she said.

Buck said she admires the way that Evans brings an element of fun to a workspace while constantly problem solving.

“She is positive and upbeat, always seeking the high road and the best solution to any problem,” Buck said.

“Aly is a dream collaborator,” Parrilla agreed. “She will happily get into the nitty-gritty details of any project, while also being very adept at taking the 10,000-foot view. She’s a true visionary with grit.” 

Evans lives in Richford with her husband, John. Her son, Luke, and Evans’ “grandpuppy,” Mango, live in San Francisco. Her daughter, Jordan, lives in Horseheads with her husband, Brian, and their three children, Spencer, Dominic and Penelope.

“I’m not going to rest because we reach 400 people,” Evans said. “We could serve a lot more people. … So, we’re going to keep going, trying new ways to see how we can solve the problem together.”

During times when she’s feeling stressed out, Evans likes to focus on what happened that day.

“Today,” she says to herself, “a team of 26 employees of Foodnet came together, had some fun, made some food with their hearts and their hands, delivered it to people who enjoyed the meal.”