By Victoria Hurley-Schubert and Allison Musante, Staff Writers
Like the mailman, neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the Meals on Wheels volunteers from their appointed rounds.
The group of dedicated volunteers deliver meals to 60 to 65 homes in the Princetons, Plainsboro, West Windsor, Hightstown, East Windsor area five days a week.
On Wednesday, which was snowy, sleety and rainy, the mayors of those towns went along on deliveries to raise awareness of the program.
”I’ve been involved in the Meals on Wheels program for many years,” said Mayor Peter Cantu of Plainsboro, who regularly volunteers with the organization. “It’s a group that’s particularly close to me. Meals on Wheels were delivered to my mother, so I believe in the work they do. They provide a wonderful service and I’ve been happy to promote what they do, so I continue to involve myself year after year.”
Mayor Cantu and others participated in “Mayors for Meals Day,” a national campaign by the Meals on Wheels Association of America.
The American Red Cross of Central New Jersey is a participant in this national campaign, which aims to raise awareness of senior hunger and to encourage action on the part of the local community. Its Home Delivered Meals Program delivers meals to those who are homebound and those unable to prepare meals for themselves.
The program delivered 52,944 meals to 240 clients last year, said Diane Concannon, director of public relations, American Red Cross of Central New Jersey.
The program includes Meals on Wheels, Meals At Home and Weekend Mobile Meals. In the Meals on Wheels program in the Greater Princeton area, 105 residents were served 16,569 meals by approximately 100 volunteers last year.
”Seniors in our area are getting older,” said Rose Berger, regional director of community services for American Red Cross of Central New Jersey, with statistics showing that the fastest growing segment of the population is 85 years old. “Because of this the need for meals will continue to grow.”
Some of the meal challenges for the elderly are frailness, which makes mobility difficult. “This program helps keep people in their home and age in place,” said Ms. Berger.
Meals actually include two meals: one hot meal and one cold meal, so the program is covering two of the three main meals of the day, said Ms. Berger.
This makes meal recipients very happy.
”It’s good to grow old in Princeton,” said Poppy Kennedy, an 85-year-old resident of Holly House who no longer drives or cooks and has been getting meals for about a year. “It’s a nice thing (the volunteers) do, I appreciate it.”
The volunteers also get a lot out of making their rounds.
”I like to chat,” said Andree van Raalte, a 70-year-old Princeton resident who volunteers one day a week for the program. “Some people don’t have visitors.”
”I appreciate what the Red Cross is doing every year. I’ve been involved for so many years, I don’t even remember how many years,” said Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh of West Windsor, who went to the same house as last year. “I think it’s important for elected officials to have a hand in the community in this way. As a community, we do have obligation to take care of retirees and people who need help. This is part of my personal mission to try to take care of those who need special attention.”
Mayors delivering meals included: Chad Goerner of Princeton Township and Janice Mironov of East Windsor.
Hot meals cost $5 and cold meals cost $2.50.
”Not every client has the ability to afford this. In many of these cases, the costs for meals are subsidized by grants and donations,” said Ms. Concannon.

