Thanksgiving Day is just a few weeks away, and we’re all anticipating a table loaded with enough food to feed an army. This time of year, it’s important to recognize that thousands of people in the Lehigh Valley won’t have that kind of meal.

Whether through age, infirmity, or economic situations, purchasing and cooking food for many presents challenges. Twelve hundred meals a day, five days a week along 84 delivery routes, Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley (MWGLV) fulfills its mission.

Until recently, our community was served by two separate groups –Meals on Wheels in Lehigh County and Meals on Wheels in Northampton County. Following the retirements of Lehigh’s executive director Pam Bechtel in 2017 and Northampton’s JoAnn Nenow in 2018, the organizations merged.

Contrary to popular belief, Meals on Wheels is not a “program of last resort.” The majority of clients are in a low-income bracket and use the service for extended periods, but others are served for a short time.

“On one hand, we may have someone who’s at home convalescing from surgery. On the other, an individual may need nutritional support longer term due to limited mobility or other factors,” explains CEO Vicki Coyle.

Meal delivery also provides a bit of personal interaction for clients, helping to offset the effects of social isolation.

“Medically, being alone can affect your health the way smoking 15 cigarettes a day could,” Coyle says. Drivers generally have the same routes each day and are alert to changes in a client’s condition or behavior. Their feedback to the MWGLV office often results in a follow-up call to a family member.

Speaking of “family members,” Meals on Wheels looks after companion animals as well. “Our ‘Ani-meals’ program provides pet food or cat litter to about 25 low-income clients each month. Having a pet can help you live longer, and we want to be sure our clients eat their full meals and not share them with a pet; that’s not good for either of them,” she says.

Unopened/unexpired pet food contributions are welcome. Learn more, donate, or volunteer at www.mowglv.org.