Through a special partnership with Meals On Wheels Association of America, Meals On Wheels of Northampton County has been awarded a generous grant in the amount of $13,455 for the purchase of much needed heat bags and coolers used in the delivery of hot and cold meals to homebound seniors in the community. This grant will also enable us to purchase a new automatic food slicer used in the preparation of meals.  During the past three years, meal delivery routes have increased over 20% from 40 to 54 routes.  This past year alone we added eight additional routes, each serving 13-18 older adults. 

“Thanks to the Walmart Foundation, we will have enough meal delivery bags and coolers to help serve the growing number of homebound seniors in need of meal assistance,” said JoAnn Bergeron Nenow, Executive Director.  “The new food slicer will also help us to keep pace with the increased volume of meals and help to free up time for staff to focus on other tasks in the kitchen.” 

We extend our sincere gratitude to Meals On Wheels Association of America and the Walmart Foundation for their outstanding concern and support of Meals On Wheels organizations throughout the country and our  efforts to end Senior Hunger by 2020.

Meals on Wheels Association of America  in conjunction with Melwood, a not for profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area, is  offering to make a vehicle donation as a charitable gift, at no cost to you,  in support of  Meals on Wheels of Northampton County.

To Make a Vehicle Donation – Simply call    1-888-669-5721

What You Need to Know…

• Meals On Wheels Car Donation Program accepts ALL cars, trucks, boats with a trailer, motorcycles, RV’s,  regardless of the vehicle’s condition.  Towing is FREE…
• Vehicles must have a clean title.  When calling please have the title in hand to provide information over the phone.  Please indicate that your vehicle donation will support Meals On Wheels of Northampton County. Donation hours: M-Th: 8am-7pm; Fri: 8am-5pm & Sat.: 9am-4pm.
• Once your donation is accepted, the local towing company will contact you to arrange pick up of the vehicle.  Towing is typically arranged within one to two days.
  
• When pickup is completed, you will receive a formal receipt from Meals On Wheels Association of America.
• As soon as the vehicle is sold at auction, you will receive a letter with the IRS form 1098C indicating the sale amount of the vehicle for charitable gift purposes.  Auctions are held weekly.
• A check then will be issued to Meals On Wheels of Northampton County following the sale of the vehicle.

For additional information… please call Jim Waters at Meals On Wheels of Northampton County  - 610-691-1030

2009 Form 990

For older adults like Marie who is 72 years old, good nutrition means a more healthy and productive life. Ask Marie about Meals On Wheels, she immediately says, “I love Meals On Wheels.”

“Before I received meals, I had little interest in cooking; I weighed only 117 pounds and felt tired most of the time. I was even hospitalized.  Today I feel better and look forward to my meals as  well as the friendly visits of volunteers who truly care. I am so grateful that if I could volunteer for Meals On Wheels, I would.”

Marie takes great pride in her apartment where she has enjoyed living for eighteen years.  An avid reader, Marie says, “When my children were small, I couldn’t afford to buy books so I went to the local library. I didn’t graduate from High School but I love to learn.”  Marie’s other favorite pastime is doing puzzles, particularly those that depict animals and flowers.

Marie must try to make ends meet living on Social Security. “The cost of utilities, rent and medications consume most of my income.”  She quickly adds, “I know how to budget my money. I had to all of my life.”

Marie is one of 750 older adults whom we have the privilege to serve each day. However, 95% of our clients, like Marie, simply cannot afford the partial or total cost of meal assistance.  Good nutrition is not a privilege but a right of every older adult.  For this reason, despite their financial hardship, we continue to help them.

Left Top: Jee Young Lee with MOW employees Brian Smith and Fran Malok; Right Top:� Ms Lee� with MOW volunteers;� Lower Left: Ms Lee� with MOW client Kathryn May Nixon

By Daniel Patrick Sheehan | OF MORNING CALL� July 7, 2009 � …� � � � �

A special delivery

… The media center, a gargantuan tent, had table space for scores of media outlets and may be the only place in the world where reporters from the Hazleton Standard-Speaker and the Philippines Inquirer will ever rub shoulders. The players hail from 21 countries. South Korea, where golf is a passion, appeared to have the largest contingent of overseas reporters: Korea Daily, Golf

Annual Report 2008�

WWW.iGive.com/MOWNC

When you shop online at 700 brand name stores, a portion of your purchases will be donated to:

Meals on Wheels of Northampton County.

Proceeds help to subsidize the cost of meals

for low income seniors.

If you have any questions, please call Jim Waters at 610-691-1030.

A comprehensive study of hunger among seniors was commissioned by the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) with funding from Harrah’s Foundation.� The following statistics summarize the findings of this report:

National Concern:

• Over 5 million (11.4%) seniors in the U.S. experienced some form of food insecurity.� Of these, 2.5 million were at-risk of hunger with 750,000 suffering from hunger due to financial reasons.
• Half of all at-risk seniors have annual incomes above the federal poverty line.
• If this problem is not adequately addressed, it is estimated that by the year 2025, an estimated 9.5 million senior Americans will experience food insecurity.

Seniors in Pennsylvania:

• By the year 2020, one in four Pennsylvanians will be over the age of 60.
• One in five Pennsylvania seniors live in poverty.
• Seniors at-risk of hunger are more likely to be in poor� or fair health & limited physically.
• The cost to provide nursing home care under Medicaid is 50 times greater as compared to the cost of helping an older American remain in their home.

Impact for Seniors Served by Meals on Wheels Of Northampton County:

• Last year we served 1,329 unduplicated older adults in need of meal delivery.
• Ninety-five percent of those we served were regarded as low-income.
• Currently we need to subsidize 430,000 meals per year at a rate of $1.17 per meal.
• The number of seniors in need of meal assistance is increasing 8-10% each year.

•� Every day volunteers each travel an average of 19.8 miles to deliver 17 meals.
•� Last year, 606 volunteers contributed 33,028 hours to deliver meals.
•� Volunteer drivers drove a total of 171,173 miles to deliver 350,000 meals.
•� Volunteers used an estimated 11,412 gallons of gas to deliver meals.
•� If we had to employ drivers to deliver meals to 750 clients it would cost us over $400,000 per year.

Dear Friends,� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

As a member of the Board of Directors, I would like to make you aware of the profound impact that escalating gasoline prices are having on the daily operation of Meals On Wheels of Northampton County and 1,100 volunteers, on whom we depend to deliver meals to senior and disabled adults in our community.

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

Most of our volunteers pay for fuel they use to deliver meals out of pocket.� Given the fact that the majority of our volunteers are retired, living on fixed incomes, the cost to deliver meals can become a personal hardship.� Any reimbursement that we can offer them from our operating budget simply cannot keep pace with the ever increasing rise in the cost of gasoline.� We fear as gasoline prices continue to rise over $4.00 per gallon, many will no longer be able to volunteer their services, leaving those we serve in jeopardy of not having meal delivery service.

Your help to provide relief for our volunteers, who are already struggling to afford the cost, would be very much appreciated. Your contribution of one or more gas cards or a financial contribution which we will use to purchase gas cards for volunteers will certainly help to alleviate this situation.� You may send your gift cards or contribution to:� Meals On Wheels of Northampton County, 4240 Fritch Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18020 and designate on your check or on enclosed note: “ Friends For Fuel.”�

In recognition of your generous and kind support, we would enjoy the opportunity to list your name on a special display in our volunteer lounge to be named, “Friends For Fuel”.�

Should you have any questions, or would like to visit and tour our facility, please call Jim Waters at 610-691-1030 in the Development Office and he will be very glad to arrange this with you.� Thank you for your consideration of this special appeal for the benefit of our wonderful volunteers and the 750 older adults whom they visit and deliver meals to every day.

Sincerely,

Dennis “Ike” Eisenhart

Board of Directors

Exxon Dealer: Ike’s 25th St. Exxon, Easton, PA
Sunoco Dealer: Ike’s Airport Rd. Sunoco, Allentown, PA
Shell Dealer: Ike’s Shell Center, Center St., Bethlehem, PA
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� On this designated day American mayors across the country will show their support for the Meals on Wheels program in their city by delivering meals to seniors.�