New London — The New London Community Meal Center has hired an executive director, the first in the nonprofit’s 35-year history.

MaryAnn Martinez was hired by a unanimous vote by the agency’s Board of Directors in March. The new position, which is part time for now, is part of a strategic plan to strengthen the organization’s financial footing while expanding its reach into other segments of the city’s vulnerable population.

The meal center operates out of its 12 Montauk Ave. building and provides lunch five days a week and dinner six days a week, serving an estimated 75,000 meals per year. Since the start of the pandemic it has been providing takeout meals to any who stop in.

Board Chairwoman Linda Berard said volunteers and board members do much of the work at the center. But board members also have full-time jobs and families and Berard said hiring someone to manage the day-to-day operations will help provide better connectivity with volunteers and happenings at the center. It will also take some of the burden off the board.

In addition to making suggestions about how the center is run, Martinez is expected to expand grant writing and make a push to increase its base of donors and partnerships. While most of the meals served on a daily basis are for homeless individuals, Berard said the goal of the center is to reach more people, like the working poor and elderly.

“She’s very dynamic and I think she’s going to be a good fit,” Berard said of Martinez. “She has a lot of thoughts and ideas and I think having her here will propel us forward.”

Martinez, who has roots in the Groton area, has been around the country working as everything from a farm manager to an independent consultant mapping social systems to ignite discussion around issues of local and regional food systems and food insecurity.

She most recently worked as the director of the Community Food Initiatives in Athens, Ohio, and is still providing work for that group. She said she was drawn to her new job because it brought her closer to her roots.

“I’m excited to be back in the region and somewhere where I will be able to make a difference,” Martinez said.

Martinez, who now lives in Groton, has a master’s degree in sustainable food systems and doctoral degree in leadership and change.

She describes herself as a “woman with a passion for good food, the environment, food sovereignty, social equity, and empowering oppressed and exploited communities. I have spent most of my life working with people in the human services and educational environments.”

Because of the high food insecurity rates in New London, Martinez said “I can’t think of a better place to be doing this work.”

G.smith@theday.com