PASCACK VALLEY—Meals on Wheels North Jersey celebrates its 50th anniversary at a gala on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at Old Tappan Manor.
Guest of honor is the irrepressible Margaret Cook, who developed the local Meals on Wheels program as well as Habitat for Humanity and Westwood House for Seniors, among her many progressive projects as a then-resident of Bergen County.
Meals on Wheels North Jersey is a nonprofit service providing hot meals and friendly visits to upward of 200 people five days a week throughout Bergen County. Delivering those meals is an army of 500 volunteers.
The fee paid by recipients is based on ability to pay, and there is a need to attract donations to keep the meals affordable for those who need help.
According to executive director Jeanne Martin, operating costs are increasing with the price of food and rent, and the gala aims to raise $100,000 to subsidize operations over the foreseeable future.
Beyond the immediate need: “Our goal is to expand our services to more people. I’d like to see us servicing 500 clients,” she said.
Citizen support is gratefully accepted either by attending the event or by providing a donation.
Chairperson RoseAnn Ciarlante told Pascack Press on Aug. 8, “The 50th Anniversary Gala Committee has been working diligently for months to create an entertaining evening that will help further the fundraising efforts of Meals on Wheels North Jersey.”
She promised a wine pull, a basket raffle, a silent auction and something they’re calling “the gift card grab-o-rama.”
“I think what is most exciting for the committee is seeing how so many small businesses and concerned individuals are stepping up with sponsorships and donations,” she said.
Ciarlante explained, “Here in Westwood, where we are headquartered, we’ve had a tremendous outpouring of support from local residents, restaurants, and businesses — one of which is working with us to curate specialty items for the auction.”
And she said, “We’ve even had a resident donate her artwork which is really special and heartfelt. No doubt this kind of support speaks volumes about the importance of Meals on Wheels North Jersey’s core mission of assisting local homebound seniors age-in-place safely, not just in Westwood, a community that prides itself on its age-friendly services, but in the 29 other Bergen County communities we serve as well.”
Ciarlante said, “The fact that founder Margaret Cook will be in attendance is icing on our 50th anniversary cake. She’s a unique woman with tremendous energy and drive.”
She added, “I’m not sure she could have predicted she’d have a five-decade-long impact on Bergen County, but we are glad she used her considerable talents in service to area senior-citizens.”
Ciarlante said the committee has also taken over the Facebook page of Meals on Wheels North Jersey with a social media campaign created to draw attention to the 50th Anniversary celebration.
“Every day until our gala on Sept. 22, we’ll post a fact, interview, or a behind-the-scenes look at our programs” (at facebook.com/MealsOnWheelsOfNorthJersey.”
One discovery she said all the committee members found interesting: the organization’s volunteers rack up 10,000 miles a year in service. “That’s a fun fact that clearly shows how committed our drivers are to putting a nutritious meal on a client’s table and a smile on their face.”
A history of doing
Martin has been at the helm of Meals on Wheels North Jersey for more than 16 years. A former president of Meals on Wheels New Jersey, she began her work in the non-profit world as the administrator for Christian Overcomers; a disability ministry offering respite care and social opportunities for disabled youth and adults.
In conversation with Martin on Facebook, Ciarlante draws out much history special to the Northern Valley and Pascack Valley areas:
The idea to start Meals on Wheels in the Pascack Valley began in 1972 with Cook and a meeting of The Pascack Valley Center, an organization of 15 churches and temples.
Through Cook’s determination and research, and a $200 donation from the Park Ridge Rotary Club, the fledging group found a willing food service partner in Park Ridge Diner.
The program launched with two clients in desperate need of assistance. It grew steadily, and when it became clear that the dietary needs of older people needed more specialized preparation, Pascack Valley Hospital’s food service department got involved.
By September 1974, the group was feeding 32 to 38 people a day and had five delivery routes.
She says rapid growth led to financial struggles for Meals on Wheels Pascack Valley, as it was then known, but thanks to an article in the Bergen County Record, donations totaling more than $6,000 poured in over six weeks.
In just over a decade, Martin says, the organization grew to include a full time director and 200 volunteers who were feeding 80 people a day in 20 towns with an annual budget of $62,000.
The growth, fueled by need and a growing senior population, continues. Meals on Wheels North Jersey serves approximately170 meals a day, reaches 30 towns, and has an annual operating budget of approximately $400,000.
The program has four employees who coordinate meal delivery, client registration, volunteer training and recruitment, social services programs, friendly visits, and more.
Annually, 500 volunteers assist the program and nearly $50,000 is raised through fundraisers and private donations.
Looking ahead to next chapter in a community story
Martin says she sees the program growing much more in the next year.
“We’re finally getting things in sync after the pandemic. Our food is excellent. Our drivers are excellent. We have a new app which helps our volunteers with directions and delivery instructions. So yeah, our numbers are starting to go up again. And we’re serving a big need.”
Recognized in the gala beyond Cook’s legacy and the organization’s volunteers, she says, are “our friends — our family. … The people we deliver meals to — they’re more than clients to us and I think every one of my volunteers would echo that sentiment. I am very blessed to have this job.”
For information on ticket sales and donations, visit my.cheddarup.com/c/ticket50, call Meals on Wheels of North Jersey at (201) 358-0050, or visit mealsonwheelsnorthjersey.org.