Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley provides such a great service to our community. I worked with Erik McGaughey back in 2012 and 2013 when he worked at the American Cancer Society. I was the event chair for the Whitehall Relay for Life for two years, held in June on the Whitehall-Coplay School District football field. I started Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative in 2014, and Erik became MOW’s CEO in 2023. We both work to help those in need.

Erik and I still work together to help each other. Last year, on May 18, 2023, Meals on Wheels, BrightStar Care of Stroudsburg and Allentown and Compassionate Care Hospice partnered with Friends of Pete to present a Spring into Giving food drive to provide needed food items for WCHI Food Pantry. Food donations filled a 14-foot box truck during the three-hour event.

Karen Haberern is an extraordinary volunteer and helps at both WCHI and MOW. She delivers MOW meals to seven households in Whitehall and Coplay monthly. These households also receive food from WCHI’s pantry. Karen finds out which food items they will eat, and she brings them at the same time she delivers the MOW meals.

I want to share information on Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley. The following content comes directly from its website, mowglv.org/about.

“Welcome to Meals on Wheels, where our legacy is built on a foundation of compassion, community and dedicated service. For more than 50 years, we have been passionately committed to serving seniors and adults with disabilities, fostering a sense of well-being and connection within our community. Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley is a private, nonprofit organization serving all of Lehigh and Northampton counties and portions of Carbon County in Pennsylvania.

“Our mission is simple yet profound: to provide nutritious meals and foster social connection across the greater Lehigh Valley. We’ve become an integral part of the lives of more than 2,000 seniors and adults with disabilities in the Lehigh Valley. From the age of 19 to the remarkable milestone of 106, our clients encompass a diverse range of individuals, each with unique needs and stories.

“To ensure our services reach those in various corners of our community, we’ve established eight convenient pickup locations for our dedicated volunteers. These locations serve as hubs of generosity, where volunteers gather to contribute to our shared mission.

“Our commitment to making a difference is reflected in the extensive reach of our operations. With a network of 89 daily delivery routes, we strive to bridge gaps and provide essential nourishment directly to the doorsteps of those we serve. Each route represents a story, a connection and a lifeline to those who rely on our services.”

The organization has other great information on its site, too, including these statistics: They serve 1,494 clients each day; the total number of meals made in 2024 is 373,176; and 70% of their clients live on less than $16,000 a year.

For more information, call 610-691-1030.