Meals on Wheels Director Speaks to Rotary Club

Jeanne Martin, director of the Pascack Valley Meals on Wheels, recently was the guest speaker at the Westwood Rotary Club.

Martin, who is also a member of The Rotary Club, shared the background of the organization, their purpose and goal.

The organization was founded by Margaret Cook-Levy, who started Meals on Wheels 40 years ago with a group called Pascack Valley Center, an organization made up of 15 churches and temples from Pascack Valley. They saw a need for area seniors who were at risk of not having a hot meal every day. With a $200 donation from the Montvale Rotary, delivery started out of the Park Ridge Diner. Within a year the program moved to Pascack Valley Hospital where it remained until the hospital closed in 2007. Meals are now provided through CareOne at Valley, Oradell Health Care Center and The Christian Health Care Center.

They strive to deliver two meals per day to home bound seniors and people with disabilities and to provide a daily well check to these clients.  Sometimes the option to eating healthy is a choice between paying for medication or getting proper nutrition. The cost of feeding a senior for a year is the same cost as having a senior in the hospital for a day. The concern has also been to maintain the quality of the food that’s it provides while providing proper nutrients. The organization is also participating in a meal delivery program that provides nutritious meals to people with breast cancer and their families. Currently, Meals on Wheels provides its service during the week but with a joint venture in the future with The Rotary Club of Westwood, a weekend service route maybe just around the bend.

For more information on the Meals on Wheels program contact Jeanne at 201-358-0050.

Editor's note: This post was provided by Sue Thielemann on behalf of the Westwood Rotary Club.