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Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley receives significant gift from MacKenzie Scott
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley (MOWGLV) is one of only 30 local Meals on Wheels programs nationwide to be the beneficiary of a gift from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. On December 16, Scott presented more than $4.1 billion in donations to 384 organizations out of 6,490 organizations that she and her advisers considered.
The $1.5 million unrestricted gift to MOWGLV represents the single largest gift in the local organization’s history and comes at a time when MOWGLV continues to explore ways it can help even more people in our region.
“We are incredibly honored by Ms. Scott’s generosity and grateful for the profound and lasting impact that it will have every day in the Lehigh Valley,” said Vicki Coyle, CEO of MOWGLV. “The gift will give us the capacity to reach even more people and invest in new services. The need among our clients grows every day here. Like many agencies, the pandemic has tested our creativity and resourcefulness. I’m proud to say that our staff and volunteers are the real heroes in our work.”
Nearly 2,000 Lehigh Valley individuals benefit daily from healthy, medically-tailored meals delivered to their homes by MOWGLV volunteers. The organization made 417,138 meals in 2019, a number expected to exceed 450,000 before 2020 concludes. Seventy percent of deliveries are to individuals who live on less than $16,000 a year.
“Ms. Scott’s gift is a tribute to every volunteer, donor, staff member and partner who has helped us succeed over the years,” Coyle said. “Our donors and volunteers are our backbone. We rely on them every day to serve our neighbors in need in every community across our region. I have no doubt that this strong support provided extra validation to Ms. Scott’s gift and affirms the real and meaningful impact we have made in the Lehigh Valley. It presents both an opportunity and a challenge to do even more.”
Indeed, Scott noted in her announcement: “These 384 carefully selected teams have dedicated their lives to helping others, working and volunteering and serving real people … They help by delivering vital services, and also through the profound encouragement felt each time a person is seen, valued, and trusted by another human being. This kind of encouragement has a special power when it comes from a stranger, and it works its magic on everyone.”
MOWGLV brought a region-wide approach to its mission in 2018 with the merger of Meals on Wheels Lehigh County and Meals on Wheels of Northampton County. In 2019, the organization purchased a new building on Sherman Street in Allentown to meet growing demand among its existing beneficiaries and provide capacity to expand into new areas of need. A capital campaign for the renovation of the new building is underway.
About Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley
MOWGLV aims to improve the health, well-being and independence of homebound seniors and adults with disabilities across the Lehigh Valley. A dedicated MOWGLV team and more than 1,900 volunteers each year work daily to provide nearly 2,000 homebound senior citizens and adults with disabilities with home-delivered meals, grocery shopping and other services in addition to the kindness and respect that they deserve.
Information provided to TVL by:
Michael Drabenstott
Drabenstott Communications Group
