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In this episode of Life After News, Jason Ball sits down with his longtime friend Richard Ayoub, the CEO of Project Angel Food, as Richard celebrates his 10th anniversary leading the organization.
From the control rooms of KCAL 9 to the bustling kitchen that now prepares over 1.5 million medically tailored meals a year, Richard shares how his television producing skills, storytelling, deadlines, and people management, have fueled his success in the nonprofit world.
🕊️ From Newsroom to Nonprofit
Jason and Richard trace his remarkable journey from El Paso, Texas, through TV newsrooms in Tucson, Orlando, and Los Angeles, to the moment he traded breaking news for a mission-driven life. He reflects on how the same instincts that made him a strong producer, curiosity, compassion, and hustle, helped him revive a struggling organization and lead it into a new era of service.
🍽️ The Project Angel Food Story
Richard recounts the origins of Project Angel Food, founded by Marianne Williamson in 1989 during the AIDS crisis to ensure no one died alone or hungry. When Richard arrived a decade ago, the nonprofit was financially fragile “upside down a million dollars.” He describes how he and his team turned it around, reinstating staff benefits, paying off the building’s mortgage, and launching an ambitious $51.5 million capital campaign that will triple their capacity to 4.5 million meals annually.
💡 Food Is Medicine
Richard explains how the concept of “food is medicine” has transformed the organization’s mission designing meals to help clients manage HIV/AIDS, diabetes, heart disease, and more. With data showing improved health outcomes and reduced hospital visits, Project Angel Food now partners with six healthcare plans to bring medically tailored meals to thousands across Los Angeles.
🎬 Lessons from Life in News
A veteran of KCAL’s groundbreaking Prime 9 News, Richard shares inside stories from his days producing alongside Pat Harvey and Jerry Dunphy and how landing an interview with Henry Kissinger taught him the power of kindness and persistence. His reflections reveal how news instincts translate beautifully into leadership and advocacy work.
🏆 Legacy and Purpose
Richard calls Project Angel Food “the gay community’s gift to all of Los Angeles.” He sees his role as honoring that legacy while expanding its reach—with new facilities, satellite kitchens, and innovations that give clients more choice and dignity in their meals. “If you rewind the tape,” he says, “everything I’ve done in my life led me here.”
🎧 Plus, Jason’s Updates:
- After seven and a half years, Jason has rolled off the Project Angel Food board but continues to support its mission.
- He’s joined the board of the Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation, funding local journalism across the desert.
- And there’s a new Life After News sister podcast: Chasing Faith with Dorothy Lucey, exploring spirituality and belief in today’s world.
Next week’s guest: legendary reporter Hank Plante, one of the first openly gay journalists on television and a leading voice during the AIDS crisis.
Listen now for an inspiring conversation about purpose, reinvention, and how storytelling can change lives—on and off the air.
🎧 Subscribe to Life After News wherever you get your podcasts.
Let Life After News inspire your next chapter. Because leaving the news doesn’t mean the story’s over—it means a new one’s just beginning.
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