Gwendolyn Love of Lunch Break
Walking a Path of Love and Service By Cathy Padilla | Photo Carmela Caracappa Upon meeting Gwendolyn Love the appropriateness of her last name may be the first thing noted. Exuding kindness and warmth, she is referred to by many as an angel. Yet the woman who leads Lunch Break, the non-profit located in Red Bank that provides food, clothing, life skills, and fellowship to those in need in Monmouth County and beyond, has a core of strength and a belief sys-
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tem instilled in her by a mother who raised her children out of poverty. Gwen is only the second Executive Director in Lunch Break’s 39-year history, following in the footsteps of Norma Todd who founded the charity in 1983 and was at the helm for its first 25 years. Ms. Todd, as Gwen refers to her, was known as the Mother Teresa of Red Bank and left arguably enormous shoes to fill. Gwen shared that
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in her first few years at Lunch Break she was told stories of Ms. Todd’s good deeds on a daily basis. Rather than try to replace Ms. Todd, Gwen has instead embraced her legacy. She has taken the faith, tenacity, and willingness to work hard she learned from her mother, joined it with Ms. Todd’s dedication to ending hunger and underemployment, and now does the work of both.