About Us
We pride ourselves on being the leading Lehigh Valley provider for healthy, medically-tailored meals. Beyond simply providing a meal, Meals on Wheels is dedicated to providing customized meals that are designed by a licensed nutritionist to meet 1/3 of the Recommended Daily Allowance and accommodate special diets such as diabetic, renal, pureed, and some food allergies. Nearly 2,000 seniors and people with disabilities depend on us every day to deliver meals directly to their homes and senior centers. We incorporate local seasonal produce into our meals when possible.
Annual Reports
Our History
While Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley is a new organization, it has nearly a century’s worth of experience providing quality care and services to seniors and adults with disabilities. Our services include grocery shopping, pet food/supply delivery, emergency meals, and more.
Meals on Wheels of Lehigh County’s history dates back to 1970, when a task force of concerned citizens began meeting with Lehigh County Commissioners to address the problem of malnutrition among seniors. On Feb. 1, 1971, 50 volunteers from Meals on Wheels of Lehigh County delivered a hot meal and cold bagged meal to 9 clients on 3 separate routes.
Also in 1971, the Mayor of Bethlehem’s Task Force on Health and Welfare started Meals on Wheels of Northampton County (then called Bethlehem Area) to provide nutritious and well-balanced meals Monday through Friday to seniors, homebound individuals, and adults with disabilities. Under the direction of Board President Dr. Edwin Frey, the Meals on Wheels board and staff began serving meals to 15 clients on Valentine’s Day, 1972.
In the fall of 2016, the Board of Directors from both these organizations began to meet to explore the possibility of a merger. A synergy grant from the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley fueled this process. After 2 years of collaboration and 3 distinct phases of planning, Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley officially began on Sept. 1, 2018.
Meet The Team
Management
Erik McGaughey
CEO
erikm@mowglv.org
Year Started with Meals on Wheels: 2022
Erik comes to us from the American Cancer Society where he was most recently the Regional Development Director. During his fourteen years at the American Cancer Society, Erik developed systematic approaches to fundraising and stewardship, managed the largest regional event/relationship portfolio, worked with volunteers to deliver organizational goals and exceeded national standards for membership recruitment expectations. Erik has lived in the Lehigh Valley since 1984 and is a graduate of Moravian University where he received a BBA in Management/Marketing and a BBA in English. We are excited to have Erik join us at Meals on Wheels. His strong leadership abilities and development skills, along with his commitment to helping others through non-profit work will ensure the continued positive impact of Meals on Wheels on the lives of seniors and adults with disabilities throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Dina Kovats-Bernat
Director of Development and Communications
dinak-b@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2022
Years of Experience in My Field: 9
Monica McCandless
Director of Client Services
monicam@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2002
Years of Experience in My Field: 16
Dawn Stillwagen
Director of Volunteer Services
dawns@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2000
Years of Experience in My Field: 25
Pat Peters
Facilities Manager
patp@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2009
Years of Experience in My Field: 24
Ed Cronin
Director of Finance
edc@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2023
Years of Experience in My Field: 29
Nick Nonnemacher
Director of Food Services
nickn@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2013
Years of Experience in My Field: 20
Other Staff Positions
Community Care Team
Tracey Huffman – traceyh@mowglv.org
Dana Kenney, MSW, CDP – danak@mowglv.org
LaCrisha Vasquez, MSW, CDP – lacrishav@mowglv.org
Melissa Mayer – melissam@mowglv.org
Edalis Bermudez – EBermudez@mowglv.org
Angela Clarke – angelac@mowglv.org
Finance & Administration
Pat Peters – patp@mowglv.org
Evelyn Garcia– evelyng@mowglv.org
Food Services
Bob Adams – boba@mowglv.org
Development & Marketing
Brenda Blaicher – brendab@mowglv.org
Evangelina Shelly – evangelinas@mowglv.org
Volunteer Services
Melinda Brown – melindab@mowglv.org
Jill Pyle – jillp@mowglv.org
Board of Directors
2023-2024
Executive Committee
President – David M. Romanelli, CFP®, Financial Advisor – Morgan Stanley
Vice President – Bankim A. Bhatt, M.D., St. Luke’s Center for Endocrinology & Metabolism
Secretary – Donna Zimmerman, Lehigh County Office of Aging & Adult Service, retired Director of the Area Agency on Aging Executive Director of the Lehigh County Office of Aging and Adult Services
Treasurer – Rosemary Lamaestra, CPA, CFE, Baker Tilly US, LLP
Immediate Past President – Michael Santanasto, The Law Office of Michael A. Santanasto, Esq., LLC
Members
Brian Abel, LVHN/Integrated Care Coordination
Carrie Fleckenstein, St. Luke’s University Health Network, Senior Network Director, Senior Care Services
Robin Flemming, Development Professional
Ed Flowerdew, Boyle Construction, Inc., Vice President of Operations
James Gold, Principal Consultant – Accordant Philanthropy
Lea Grigsby, Better Homes and Gardens Valley Partners, Realtor®; Moravian University, First Lady
Juan Hernandez, Vice President : Employee Benefits Consultant USI Insurance Services
Members
Kimberly Laurito, Your Part-Time Controller
Rev. Ray Malec, Concordia Lutheran Church, Pastor
Cindy Merritt, CPA, Buckno Lisicky & Co., Shareholder
Justin Ryan, Lehigh Valley Industrial Park, Inc., Director of Business Development
Tyler D. Seiferheld, CPA, Lang Faylor Chomo
Pam Hartnett, Regional Director of Operations, Midatlantic Panoramic Health
Dr. Raluca Milos, St. Luke’s University Health Network
Clients served each day
TOTAL MEALS MADE IN 2019
%
live on less than $16K/Year
Let Us Help You
Thanks for your interest in Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley. We look forward to helping you or your loved ones today.
