Forty years ago, in 1983, New Rochelle, New York’s population was approximately 70,000. According to the 1980 census, about 14,600 or 20% were over the age of 60. Of those, 4,000 were 75 years or older. The Interreligious Council of New Rochelle (now, The Inter-Religious Coalition) and the Office for the Aging envisioned a much needed home-delivery meals program in New Rochelle.
Meals-on-Wheels* was not a new concept as other communities around the country provided homedelivered meals to their senior citizens. Initially, the New Rochelle organizers recruited volunteers from among the various religious groups in the City as well as active seniors who participated in programs offered by the Office for the Aging.
Today’s volunteers not only deliver meals every day, but they also provide a daily check-in for these homebound and somewhat isolated neighbors. If needed, Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle (MOWNR) provides links to other networks and programs that provide assistance to the elderly including the Office for the Aging. During the last few challenging years when our community and the world faced a global pandemic, our services continued and the demand for meals doubled, a challenge we faced and met.
Providing nutritious daily meals is paramount to MOWNR’s mission. For the last forty years, volunteers have delivered close to a half million nutritious meals 365 days a year. Our service allows our homebound seniors to age-in-place and remain in the comfort and familiar surroundings of their own homes.
We salute the vision of our founders who recognized the need to provide basic and essential services New Rochelle’s homebound. Our volunteers continue to carry on their mission by reaching out and providing meals, love, support, solace, and comfort on a daily basis.
As we celebrate 40 years of service to our community, we are grateful to those who came before us and to our volunteers and generous donors who continue to support our crucial work.
* Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle is an independent, not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation and not affiliated with Meals-on-Wheels of America.
Our Purpose: (a) To develop, operate, and supervise a program for the procurement, preparation, and delivery of nutritious, and wholesome meals to residents of the City of New Rochelle, New York, who, due to illness, physical handicap, or advancing age, are homebound and unable to obtain or prepare proper and adequate meals for themselves; and (b) to do any other act or thing incident to or connected with the foregoing purposes or in the advancement thereof including the solicitation of funds for such purposes.
