New leader joins Meals on Wheels of Hancock County

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Lynda Kosh

GREENFIELD — A new executive director is in the driver’s seat of Meals on Wheels of Hancock County.

Lynda Kosh has been settling in at the helm of the meal-delivery nonprofit organization for just over a month now. She replaced Kathleen Vahle, who stepped down from the post in April after five years.

Kosh may be new to Meals on Wheels, but she’s spent her career in the nonprofit sector, mostly on Indianapolis’ east side. She has worked for agencies that provide help for women going from welfare to work, transitional housing, after-school programming, GED assistance and internship placement, which she said strengthened her relationships with area employers. Kosh has also worked with veterans and provided programming that helps women who are homeless and pregnant get their education and find permanent housing.

Now she’s leading an organization of about 230 to 250 volunteers. There are even more than that, Kosh added, when considering the Hancock County companies and organizations whose employees occasionally take a day’s worth of Meals on Wheels deliveries.

All of the organization’s meals are prepared at Hancock Regional Hospital and are nutritionally tailored based on prescriptions from clients’ doctors.

Meals on Wheels of Hancock County makes about 70 deliveries a day Monday through Friday.

“That’s been pretty steady for a couple of years, so my intention is to take us to that next level, because I think the opportunity is there,” she continued.

One way to do that is to debunk the commonly held misnomer that Meals on Wheels is only for seniors, Kosh said.

“It can help just about anybody,” she added.

Subsidy programs are available to Meals on Wheels clients as well.

“There’s all kinds of ways to be able to get folks help so nobody goes hungry,” Kosh said.

Kosh considers herself a servant leader who enjoys helping those she works with find and bring out their positive qualities.

She has ideas she’s looking forward to pitching to the Meals on Wheels board to improve the organization. Kosh said she’s also looking forward to meeting more local business owners and supporters, whom she called “the heartbeat of what we do and how we do it.”

“If we didn’t have all the volunteers that we have, we’d be hard-pressed to get it done,” she said.

Julie Lucas, a Meals on Wheels of Hancock County Board member, told the Daily Reporter in an email that Kosh “brings an impressive amount of experience” to the organization. She also praised Kosh’s eagerness to learn and offer input along with having a background that will help the organization’s cause grow in the community.

“I feel that she will rekindle the excitement of Meals On Wheels of Hancock County with her knowledge and warm personality,” Lucas said. “We look forward to an executive director that can come in and deliver passion, integrity and professionalism to our organization, volunteers and clients.”