VIDEO: Millburn Area Nonprofit Celebrates 50 Years Of ‘Meals On Wheels’

SHORT HILLS, NJ — A melding of generations took place in Short Hills when SAGE Eldercare celebrated 50 years of Meals on Wheels at a festive event at Canoe Brook Country Club last month.

With more than 200 in attendance, the celebration raised awareness of the organization and contributions for the SAGE Annual Fund, which will help the organization “provide resources for older adults to remain independent and safe at home as they age.”

According to the Summit-based organization, it serves about 44,000 meals to nearly 250 clients annually in 10 communities including Millburn/Short Hills.

The Nov. 30 event included two videos showing the impact of Meals on Wheels produced by volunteers: Viraj Sethi, a sophomore at Millburn High School, as well as one by local Boy Scout Tim Donahue of Berkeley Heights.

“I was happy to be a part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration in a small way. It’s such an important service to our community,” Sethi said.

Watch Sethi’s video below.

During the event, SAGE Executive Director Angela Sullivan, a resident of Short Hills, said that SAGE’s Meals on Wheel is one of the first programs in the country; it is the longest, continuously running Meals on Wheels program in New Jersey, and had the longest-running Meals on Wheels volunteer in the country, Joan Hoffmann.

Sullivan thanked those who support SAGE during the event.

“SAGE would not exist today if it weren’t for the pioneers who understood the need of older adults and their caregivers, and it could not continue without the support of our partners in the community,” she said.

The event also included a silent auction of about 50 items donated by area organizations and individuals, including several Millburn restaurants and businesses, a live auction, and centerpieces provided by The Junior League of Summit, in which the fruit was then donated to community partners. Splurge Bakery of Millburn provided cupcakes for the evening’s finale.

Event attendees included Doug Reed, a Meals on Wheels volunteer for 28 years, and a long-time Millburn resident before a recent move to Maplewood.

The evening included cocktails and a dinner, as well as a few words by Kathleen DiChiara, one of the evening’s honorees and the founder and former president and CEO of the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

DiChiara spoke about the friendship that comes along with the food deliveries, “which is sometimes what seniors look forward to more than the food.”

Another honoree was Hoffmann, the longest-serving Meals on Wheels volunteer in the nation, who served with SAGE for 47 years and who passed away in April 2016.

Sponsors of the event included individuals and businesses such as Short Hill’s Dun & Bradstreet, Celgene, the Merck Foundation, Overlook Medical Center, PNC Wealth Management, St. Teresa of Avila Church, TD Bank, and Waters, McPherson, McNeill, P.C. Corporate partners include Meals on Wheels America, the Merck Foundation, Subaru and Walmart.

Community partners include Bridges Outreach, Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Linden Meals on Wheels, Loaves & Fishes of St. Teresa of Avila Church, and Summit Helping Its People (SHIP).

Photo: SAGE Eldercare Executive Director Angela Sullivan, of Short Hills, and New Jersey Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz

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