WORDS & PHOTOS: Wendy Dewhurst
When I sat down to chat with Maribeth Phillips, President and CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee (MOW), she was in the midst of handling their Stuff The Bus event, providing meals and supplies for our community after two back-to-back devastating hurricanes, prepping (and promoting on The Suncoast View television show) for their annual fundraiser Empty Bowls in Lakewood Ranch, gathering wrapping paper and shoeboxes for their 19th Annual Community Holiday Shoebox Drive, attending multiple Halloween parties for their Friendship Dinning Programs, managing a staff of 50 who are also managing hundreds of volunteers every day, and that’s just the big tasks!
I was overwhelmed just listening to her schedule, but Maribeth called it just another day at MOW.
Oh, and did I mention she had time to travel up to Tampa to accept a disaster relief donation presented by Governor Ron DeSantis for $50,000? The donation will support the important work she and her team have been doing throughout this critical time in our community.
“We are so excited to be recognized by Governor Ron DeSantis, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and the Hope Florida Network for our lifesaving work to care for and feed those in need in our community,” said Maribeth. “We were one of twenty nonprofits recognized, which is a true testament to the commitment of our board, volunteers, and staff.”
Before joining MOW, Maribeth spent years in the corporate sector. How did Maribeth go from the corporate world to nonprofit? Well, Manatee County owes its good fortune to having Maribeth Phillips in our community as the President and CEO of MOW to a shoebox!
Let me explain… In 2006, years before she would become CEO, Maribeth read an article in the Herald Tribune about a shoebox concept for helping senior citizens in need. That year, she and a few friends started a shoebox drive. They decorated and filled 36 shoeboxes that year. “We were so proud,” said Maribeth. The following year, Gio’s restaurant offered to hold a reception to collect more boxes. Then, in year three, they offered all three of their locations to do multiple collections. LOL, you’re getting the idea. That third year, in 2009, she met a woman at the event who asked if she would be interested in joining the MOW Board. In 2012, after 3 ½ years serving on the board, the CEO position became available, and Maribeth applied.
“When I joined the board the first thing you do is take a tour. After learning what MOW does and seeing the large need in several parts of Manatee County, I immediately became passionate about the organization. Right away, I started doing food drives to help support in any way I could.”
Now, as President and CEO, Maribeth and MOW took over the shoebox program—and the rest is history. Those 36 boxes have now turned into a mini fundraiser at the Lakewood Ranch Elks Club with a happy hour and raffle prizes. In 2023, they collected over 2,200 boxes, and it continues to grow every year.
“One of the many things I am so proud of is the changes we have made to our food bank,” said Maribeth. “In 2020, COVID changed everything for us. Since February 2020, MOW has experienced a 60%+ increase in demand for home-delivered meals, serving seniors and disabled residents in Manatee County. The Food Bank of Manatee is seeing a 50%+ increase in the amount of food drawn from The Food Bank for the 85 food pantries and partner agencies who rely on the organization for food.
In addition, in response to COVID-19, MOW began the Food4Families program in support of the School District of Manatee County in March 2020, providing food directly to community members who had been impacted by the pandemic. Distributions included bags of food to feed a family of five breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two or more days. Over 780,000 meals were provided through the Food4Families program in 2020, and distributions continued in 2021.”
Frank Perry, Vice President of Strategic Food Bank & Transportation Operations, was happy to boast about Maribeth. “As our President and CEO, Maribeth embodies the true spirit of a leader who is driven by a genuine commitment to making a difference and inspiring all of us to work together toward our mission at MOW. Her passion for empowering others and her unwavering enthusiasm are what set her apart, making her a source of great strength and a role model for our entire organization.”
“Another accomplishment that I am proud of, that has drastically changed the course for us here at MOW, was in 2021, we were selected as one of 384 organizations across the nation to receive a multi-million-dollar financial investment from writer, advocate, and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.”
“We are honored that our work feeding people in our community during these unimaginable times inspired Ms. Scott’s donation. The $4m transformational gift was instrumental in achieving our strategic plan, and we are deeply grateful,” said Maribeth. “Ms. Scott’s gift accelerates our capital improvements, which started in 2019, and allows us to continue to build the foundation of our future so that we carry on our critical mission here in Manatee.”
As MOW’s Chief Financial Officer, Dana Maassen works closely with Maribeth daily. “Maribeth works tirelessly for the organization and the mission. Following the hurricanes, she never asked us IF we could do something…she jumped right in with HOW do we get this done!”
Prior to joining Meals on Wheels Plus, Maribeth’s career was centered on human resources leadership. She was the Vice President of Human Resources for a number of large companies both in Connecticut and here in Florida, including Philips Medical Systems, Diageo North America, Gevity (now TriNet), and Phoenix Ink. Maribeth also secured a real estate license and worked as a Sales Associate for Neal Communities after moving to Florida.
Maribeth currently serves as Vice Chair of the Gulf Coast CEO Forum, facilitates a round table of CEOs, and is on the board of the Lakewood Ranch Activities Corporation.
Maribeth still manages to find time for friends and family. She enjoys traveling to see extended family in London and Stamford, Connecticut, where she grew up as the second of five sisters, visiting her daughter in Washington, DC, and her son in Portland, Maine. While here in Florida, she spends time with a close circle of friends. You can find Maribeth power-walking (my guess is while she’s on a work call), cooking and entertaining, at the theater, the beach, or making floral arrangements.
Veronica Brandon Miller, President of the full-service marketing agency VBM Advancement, couldn’t say enough about her longtime friend and colleague. “Maribeth is a remarkable woman with a heart bigger than the universe. Her kindness radiates through every interaction, touching lives and uplifting spirits. As a true community collaborator, she brings people together with grace and purpose, always striving to make a positive impact. Maribeth’s genuine, beautiful soul is a beacon of compassion, making the world a better place simply by being in it.”
While initially founded in 1972 with the purpose of providing nutritious meals to the elderly and disabled residents of Manatee County, Meals on Wheels of Manatee, Inc. became so much more. The organization grew over the years in response to community needs, and the “PLUS” was eventually added to the name as a way of representing the many other services offered, which include home-delivered meals, The Foodbank of Mantee, Daybreak Adult Day Center, and Friendship Dining.
The mission of MOW Plus of Manatee is to assist individuals to live independently by providing nutrition and caring, supportive services.
In 2023, 3.4 million pounds of food, almost 278,000 home-delivered meals, 24,000 volunteer hours, over 63,000 pounds of fresh produce, 2,300 emergency baby baskets, and 92 cents of every dollar go back into the PLUS programs.
Maribeth’s goal has always been to leave this organization better than she found it. Currently, MOW is out of debt, has an endowment fund, a beautiful new campus, heightened community awareness, and has made many new changes that have contributed to the efficiency of its food delivery. I think we can all agree that this is one goal she has definitely accomplished!
