LaShanda Maze has spent 20 years raising money for organizations that feed people, house veterans, and help families climb out of poverty. Project Angel Food just made her its first-ever Chief Development Officer, bringing that experience to an organization that’s never had this particular role before.
She came in already knowing the organization. She’d run development and communications at Meals on Wheels West earlier in her career. The board ran a nationwide search and landed on Maze, most recently coming from Community Action Partnership of Orange County, where she more than doubled philanthropic revenue as CDO. In some ways, all roads led her here.
Maze spoke with WEHOonline just after the announcement.
“It’s an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly,” she said. “Project Angel Food has a deep and meaningful history, and at its core it has always been about showing up for people when they are sick and often have nowhere else to turn.”
She’s worked across food insecurity, poverty, and homelessness for two decades. One belief followed her through all of it. “Food is a basic right, and access to healthy food should never be out of reach, especially for those who are most vulnerable,” Maze said. What drew her to this job was how completely Project Angel Food lives that. “It ensures that people, regardless of whether they are homebound or facing serious illness, still have access to nutritious, medically tailored meals,” she said. “This role feels like the right next chapter because it brings together everything I care about, while allowing me to be part of an organization that is not only meeting urgent needs, but doing so with dignity, consistency, and heart.”
As CDO she’ll oversee institutional giving, major donors, events, communications, volunteers, government and public funding, and the capital campaign. At her previous job she grew revenue by keeping donors close to the impact. “We made sure donors could clearly see the impact of their investment, aligning funding with outcomes and building authentic partnerships,” Maze said. “People want to invest in impact they can see and feel.”
CEO Richard Ayoub said her history in food insecurity and health-related missions was what they were looking for. “She has led fundraising teams focused on food insecurity and health-related missions and is well-acquainted with our work,” Ayoub said.
The capital campaign
Rise to the Challenge is already in its second phase, co-chaired by Jamie Lee Curtis and Marianne Williamson, with a $51.1 million goal. The first building, a new state-of-the-art kitchen at 922 Vine St. in Hollywood, opened February 5. The second building next door at 960 Vine St. is still to come, and when both are complete the two-building, 30,000-square-foot campus will triple meal delivery capacity, add a research and policy institute, and include a community cooking demonstration space.
“With healthcare at risk for thousands of individuals, the work at Project Angel Food has never been more vital,” Maze said. “The campaign reflects both the urgency of the need and the belief in what is possible. To have leaders like Jamie Lee Curtis and Marianne Williamson lending their voices and commitment speaks volumes about the impact of this work.”
“There’s a role for everyone,” she said. “No contribution is too small — every gift moves us closer to a future where everyone has access to the healthy food they need.”
Grocery gift cards
Project Angel Food is also distributing $100 grocery gift cards this week to 651 clients on SNAP, funded by L.A. Care Health Plan. Volunteers packed the envelopes April 7 with bilingual materials about the upcoming CalFresh changes, and drivers are delivering them alongside meals through April 14.
New CalFresh work and reporting requirements take effect June 1, and the organization said those changes could make things harder for people already dealing with serious illness. The materials also cover changes affecting some non-citizens that took effect April 1. This is the second round — 717 cards went out in November when federal SNAP benefits were paused during the government shutdown.
“We are hearing real fear from clients about changes to food assistance that may create added barriers for people already managing serious illness,” Ayoub said. “With the help of L.A. Care Health Plan, we are stepping in early with support and information so our most vulnerable neighbors can focus on their health, not fear.”
Melanie Fontes Rainer, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at L.A. Care Health Plan, said the partnership reflects what both organizations believe about health. “Food security and nutrition play a vital role in promoting comfort, dignity, and quality of life,” Fontes Rainer said.
“I would like to see a future where everyone, no matter what their circumstance, has access to the healthy food they need to heal and thrive,” Maze said.
Project Angel Food delivers more than 1.5 million medically tailored meals a year to 7,151 clients. Marianne Williamson founded it in 1989 during the AIDS crisis. More than 20 million meals since.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to help clarify a description of The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation Kitchen & Campus. The first building opened February 5, 2026. The second building is the one under construction with completion expected by end of 2027.
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