Terrence Meck

When Terrence Meck took over in January 2025 as president and CEO of the New York City meal-delivery nonprofit God’s Love We Deliver (GLWD), the group was trying to raise $100 million to develop an 80,000-sq.-ft. food-prep, packing and distribution facility. Meck quickly saw donors weren’t sold, so he reduced the plan to a more palatable $40 million campaign to rent a smaller space.

A year later, the actress Rosie Perez joined him for the ribbon-cutting on a 30,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Brooklyn that is 60% funded. Though the space may be smaller than what the group originally envisioned, it is now a reality—and that means GLWD will be able to increase its distribution from 4 million to 6.5 million meals a year for New Yorkers living with chronic or severe illnesses. “It was really about listening to donors and clients about what we really needed today,” he says.

Meck, 48, has a long history of nimble pivots. He had other life plans before his husband, Rand Skolnick, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008 and died four months later. With Skolnick’s multimillion-dollar estate, he helped launch the Palette Fund, a foundation that provides grants to LGBTQ+ and health-related causes. Since then, Palette has given away more than $20 million. During the first Trump Administration, Meck spent down a chunk of the endowment to cushion grantees that feared federal cuts—and, with the organization dialing back, Meck felt drawn to look for new ways to remain active in charitable work, so he turned a longtime board position with GLWD into a full-time job as its leader. “I was my own boss for the last 18 years, able to work from wherever I wanted and do whatever I wanted, and now I'm back in an office five days a week, running a staff of 210 and an operation with a $40 million budget,” he says. “In many ways, I've never been happier.”