Citymeals on Wheels Hosts an Annual Power Lunch in a Push to End Hunger
This Wednesday, leaders in fashion, politics, and philanthropy gathered at New York City’s festively decorated Plaza hotel to share a friendly meal and donate to a good cause. It was Citymeals on Wheels’s annual Power Lunch, hosted to raise funds to feed elderly New Yorkers in need. This time around, the event raised $1.5 million, which will translate into 150,000 nourishing meals.
Deborah Roberts, a Citymeals board member and the cohost of ABC News’s 20/20, delivered some opening remarks, reminding guests of why they had come together: to help provide food for the one in 10 elderly New York City adults who are food insecure. Last year, the charity, in partnership with 30 community-based organizations and older-adult centers, delivered more than two million meals for 22,000 older New Yorkers. This year, and leading up to the holidays, it hopes to top that number.
Journalist Derek Blasberg, who chaired the event, followed Roberts’s important stats with a funny and personal speech to present Lauren Santo Domingo, his longtime friend and a cofounder of Moda Operandi, who was honored at the event for her contributions to the charity. The Shubert Organization, also a longtime supporter of Citymeals, was also honored at the event.
Also in attendance were Citymeals board president Colleen Goggins, board chair chef Daniel Boulud, Citymeals ambassador Brynn Whitfield, and event chairs Samantha Boardman, Margo M. Nederlander, and Lizzie Tisch.
“This year, we’re proud to recognize Lauren Santo Domingo and the Shubert Organization for their unwavering commitment to helping Citymeals end elder hunger,” Citymeals CEO Beth Shapiro said. “We are also grateful for the steadfast support of our donors and sponsors who joined us today. Their generosity strengthens Citymeals’s lifeline for older New Yorkers, delivering meals and more to our older neighbors who built this city.”
In its fight to end hunger for the elderly in the city by 2040, the charity also provides the people it aids with companionship. In a heartwarming video screened at the event, volunteers explained that very often, older New Yorkers find it so difficult to get around the city alone, that they can no longer shop for their own food or even leave their apartments. A majority of them do not have family or loved ones nearby and therefore spend most of their time alone. Citymeals volunteers not only deliver food regularly to these adults, they also get to know them and spend time with them.
“How has Citymeals helped you?” an interviewer in the video asked a woman who relies on the organization’s help to eat. “Well, I’m still alive,” she said with a smile.
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