Agency Details:

Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon, Inc.

The Meals on Wheels mission is to assist the homebound elderly/disabled of Hunterdon County to maintain their independence by enhancing their nutritional health, thereby avoiding unwanted institutionalization.

Description:
Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon, Inc. is a private, non-profit charitable corporation organized to assist the homebound elderly and disabled of Hunterdon County, NJ to maintain and improve their health by delivering nutritious meals to them every day, and to operate congregate nutrition centers that serve elderly residents of Hunterdon County who are not homebound by providing nutritionally balanced hot meals, educational, cultural and social activities Monday through Friday. The objective of each Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon, Inc. nutrition program is to help the elderly and disabled of Hunterdon County avoid unwanted institutionalization by making it possible for them to live at home in comfort, safety and dignity. Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon is one of the last programs in the State of New Jersey with an all volunteer delivery force. Volunteers are always welcomed and needed.

History:
The program we know today as 'Meals on Wheels' had a very heroic start. During World War II in London, the British Woman's Voluntary Service devised a mobile canteen from which they made deliveries to people shut in during the Blitz.

In the United States, Margaret Toy is credited with the concept of Meals on Wheels that we know today. A Philadelphia Salvation Army worker, she consulted with a dietitian to develop menus and enlisted a corps of volunteers to deliver meals to homebound seniors. The tie between proper nutrition and good health became better understood, and by 1965, some federal funding was made available through the Older Americans Act to states interested in setting up nutrition programs.

Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon began its life in 1973, when it delivered 3,017 meals to 10 homebound clients. Today we serve over 200 homebound recipients each day on twenty routes throughout Hunterdon with the devoted help of over 500 volunteer drivers. Last year, we reached over 450 homebound recipients, serving approximately 65,000 meals (between all programs). Our mission is to assist the homebound elderly/disabled of Hunterdon County to maintain their independence so they can live in the comfort of their own home in safety and dignity.

Contact person: Monica Strenk, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (908) 284-0708

Address:

5 Walter Foran Blvd - Suite #2006 Flemington, NJ 08822 (See a map)

Web Site: None specified

Directions:

Main Office Location - From Clinton - Take Route 31 South toward Flemington - pass the Hunterdon Medical Center on your right - continue and at the second intersection (with traffic light)after the Medical Center - make a right onto. . . (more)

Last updated on September 4, 2009