Ron Dayne anchors Goodman’s program kitchen team

By Florence Edwards-Miller, GCC director of communications and annual giving

Geographically, the Goodman Community Center program kitchen isn’t that far from where Camp Randall Stadium is — just a 15-minute drive — but few would have expected that GCC is the place where football legend Ron Dayne gets things done these days. And yet, there he is on most mornings, efficiently slotting bread rolls into small compartments of compostable food trays to the tinny music from a Bluetooth speaker.

The same hands that held footballs as he gained thousands of yards rushing on the gridiron, now pack thousands of meals a week destined for Meals on Wheels program recipients.

Dayne spent years under stadium lights and the public eye. From 1996 to 1999, “the Great Dayne” was the star of the University of Wisconsin football team as the starting running back. A literal force to be reckoned with, he ended his Badger tenure as the NCAA Division I career rushing leader (a record that was eclipsed controversially in 2016) and helped carry the Badgers to 37 wins. Among his many awards, Dayne was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1999 and remains a legend for the Badger football program. His name and No. 33 is prominent in Camp Randall Stadium’s ring of retired uniform numbers

After the Badgers, Dayne was the 11th overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He played for the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans during an eight-year pro career.

After retiring from the NFL, Dayne returned to Madison and searched for something meaningful to do with his time and energy.

“Thought it would be all golfing and fishing,” he said with a rueful smile. “Turns out you can do too much golf.”

He knew Letesha Nelson, GCC’s president and executive director, who suggested that he volunteer with Goodman Community Center. Dayne liked the mission and community but initially struggled to find the right fit. He volunteered with several GCC programs, but never quite felt comfortable until he volunteered in the program kitchen.

“I like being around people every day,” Dayne said. “The kitchen is positive, like a football team. We’re all doing something to help each other, just like a team.”

For all his celebrity, Dayne is remarkably discrete and self-effacing as he goes about his work in the kitchen. Even many GCC staff and volunteers don’t know that Ron in the kitchen is THAT Ron Dayne of Badgers fame.

Dayne is part of the team that primarily prepares food for Meals on Wheels. He and his colleagues prepare each meal and then package it in an easy-to-open container. The containers are placed into insulated bags to keep them at a safe temperature. GCC staff deliver the bags to designated distribution points, where Meals on Wheels volunteers transport them to each recipient’s home. The meal delivery process not only provides lunch, but the volunteers also provide a friendly face and daily contact to those at risk of isolation at home.

“While most people associate Ron with his well-publicized on-field exploits, we have been able to see how he … is content to quietly go about doing good work, when no one is watching,” co-worker Andrew Nath said. “Ron is a thoughtful, perceptive observer who doesn’t wait for an invitation to lend a hand, and he is happy to let his good work speak for itself.”

Dayne doesn’t get to meet the people who eat the meals he prepares, but he thinks about them all the same.

“Sometimes you get an order for six meals where it was 10 meals the week before, and you wonder what happened to them,” he said, shaking his head ruefully. “I like to think they’ve just moved.”

The program kitchen is one of the least public but most essential aspects of the center’s work. Nestled into the Ironworks building, the small but efficient institutional kitchen cranks out hot, fresh meals on weekdays for Goodman program participants and several external partners including SSM Health’s Meals on Wheels program. The needs are varied. The youngest recipients are 3 years old in GCC’s child care program, and the oldest are 103 in the older adult program.

The food must meet stringent nutritional guidelines and meals must be tasty enough for recipients to enjoy them. The older adults who visit Goodman for lunch wouldn’t come if the meals were unappetizing. And, as any parent knows, kids can be the harshest of food critics. Yet the food often gets high marks, even from picky middle schoolers.

In 2023, GCC teens conducted a survey of meal recipients, both adult and child, and gave feedback to program kitchen staff. The meatloaf received praise as did the barbecue chicken, stroganoff and cheeseburgers. The chicken potpie was not as well received.

The teens’ findings were incorporated in the program kitchen’s menu. On a more day-to-day basis, participants and GCC staff give feedback to the kitchen on which meals were well received.

“The senior lunch provided the friendliest and best service I’ve experienced, including at restaurants,” one of the survey participants wrote. “Another satisfied customer. Good work!”

GCC contracted with SSM Health in 2023 to prepare the meals for Meals on Wheels, after a sudden need for a new provider. It was a major expansion for the program kitchen, adding over 250 meals to the food they prepare daily, but it wasn’t the first time the kitchen was able to rise to the occasion when the needs demanded. During the COVID-19 shutdown, the kitchen increased capacity by 250%, producing and delivering food to homes and community centers. The kitchen returned to normal function after the shutdown, but the experience with increased capacity allowed them to quickly expand to accommodate the Meals on Wheels program.

Dayne joined the kitchen team in 2023 as a volunteer but quickly became a stalwart of the program, showing up daily and becoming one of the program’s most reliable volunteers. During the warmer months, he often volunteers with the youth programs, accompanying field trips where the youth go fishing or do other activities. The kitchen began to depend on him to the point that leadership eventually asked him to formalize the relationship by joining as paid staff.

“I work about three hours a day,” Dayne said. “I could do more, but I don’t wanna take a job from a guy who might need it. So, I do my work, then I head home to take care of my daughter.”

Dayne is far from the first GCC staff member to have started as a volunteer — three out of five of the organizations current vice presidents started out as volunteers — but, as far as staff are aware, he is the only one with a Heisman Trophy to his name.

Dayne’s role was highlighted at GCC’s third annual Be the Good event in April. It was an evening of storytelling, featuring community members and GCC staff talking about what it means to “be the good” for our community. Dayne was featured in a short video prepared by staff and the Big Dreamers United production company discussing his work with the program kitchen. The video can be viewed on GCC’s website.

“Ron truly exemplifies what it means to Be the Good,” Nelson said. “Other people in his position, they might give their name, a signed jersey or come in for a day to volunteer, but that’s not Ron. He’s in there day in and out, doing the hard work for absolutely no applause.”

Even when the rest of Goodman is closed for holidays or meetings, Dayne and the rest of the program kitchen team are still hard at work. Dayne brings the same game-time intensity he once brought to bowl games.

“It’s pretty dope,” Dayne said with a smile. “Being given the opportunity to get around another team. We’re a team in here.”