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

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

Monica McCandless

Director of Client Services

monicam@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2002
Years of Experience in My Field: 16

Dawn Stillwagen

Dawn Stillwagen

Director of Volunteer Services

dawns@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2000
Years of Experience in My Field: 25

Pat Peters

Pat Peters

Facilities Manager

patp@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2009
Years of Experience in My Field: 24

Ed Cronin

Ed Cronin

Director of Finance

edc@mowglv.org
Year Started Here: 2023
Years of Experience in My Field: 29

Nick Nonnemacher

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 Mayermelissam@mowglv.org

Edalis BermudezEBermudez@mowglv.org

Angela Clarke angelac@mowglv.org

Finance & Administration

Pat Peterspatp@mowglv.org

Elyssa Njango elyssan@mowglv.org

 

 

Food Services

Bob Adamsboba@mowglv.org

Development & Marketing

Abigail Prichett – abbyp@mowglv.org

Evangelina Shelly – evangelinas@mowglv.org

 

Volunteer Services

Melinda Brown – melindab@mowglv.org

Jill Pylejillp@mowglv.org

 

Board of Directors

2023-2024

Executive Committee

PresidentDavid 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, RLB Accountants, Accountant

Immediate Past PresidentMichael 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 HartnettRegional 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.