Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • December 7, 2011 Community Meals, Inc. is currently celebrating 40 years of non-profit meal service. Since 1971, CMI has been delivering over 500 hot and cold nutritious meals each week to approximately 75 clients who cannot shop or cook for themselves. Over 50 volunteer drivers deliver 25,000 meals each year in the following Bergen County towns: Allendale, Glen Rock, Ho-Ho-Kus, Midland Park, Ridgewood, Waldwick, and parts of Saddle River. Can you remember 1971? Forty years ago, we listened to our favorite albums on a record player. There were no DVDs. We had to go out to the movies. We had no Internet, no iPods, and no cell phones. Richard Nixon was our president. Barack Obama was still in grammar school. It Community Meals, Inc. celebrating 40 years of service certainly is a different world. Still, some things remain the same. There will always be homebound individuals who need help. For the past 40 years, Community Meals has continued to deliver nutritious and tasty meals to its clients in a service area that has grown to include seven Bergen County towns. CMI started out with just four clients, but today, volunteers deliver to about 75 people every through Friday. Clients are people who, due to illness, disability, or age are not able to shop or cook for themselves. One’s daily meal is a basic need, not a luxury. The poet, John Donne, said “No man is an island.” Community Meals responds to that need for basic sustenance Pictured at the Annual Volunteer Luncheon, which was held last month at the Woman’s Club in Ridgewood, are: Margaret Hughes, CMI associate director; Janet Mills Wong, CMI president; and Stacey Gilmartin, CMI executive director. and human connection. On some days, volunteer drivers may be the clients’ only visitors, so CMI also provides an informal “safety” check. As CMI celebrates its 40th Anniversary, its members acknowledge and thank the community that has supported the organization so generously. Valley Hospital has prepared CMI’s meals since 1974, and Christ Church in Ridgewood has been the organization’s home base since 1979. Many clients have financial hardships, and CMI grants them a subsidy; often these clients receive meals at no cost. The organization’s long-held goal is to never turn anyone away for financial reasons and, to date, the organization has met that goal, with the help of many donors, including houses of worship, civic organizations, social service groups, business and family foundations, and generous individuals. Perhaps most importantly, it is CMI’s dedicated group of volunteer drivers, meal packers, and board trustees who have allowed Community Meals to meet its mission for the past four decades. The organization continues to depend on the support of this entire community. Each fall, CMI holds a Merchants for Meals Campaign that allows generous local businesses to give what they can to support the program. No amount is too small. The idea is to participate in any way possible. On a Tuesday each June, CMI hosts a Meals that Matter celebration, in which local restaurants donate a percentage of their day’s earnings to Community Meals. A list of these generous restaurateurs is available at the CMI website. Community Meals invites area residents to join in and help as a donor, volunteer driver, or board member. Those who require the service or know someone who does are encouraged to call. Meals can be started almost immediately and are available to anyone in the community, regardless of age or financial status, and on a temporary or long-term basis. Whether as a donor, volunteer or client, Community Meals invites everyone to join its “family.” Contact CMI at (201) 447-8295, communitymeals@verizon. net, or visit www.communitymealsonwheels.org for more information.