Citymeals on Wheels Raises Over $1.2 Million at
33rd Annual Power Lunch for Women

Emceed by Award-winning Actress Jane Krakowski, Funds Raised
Will Provide over 150,000 Meals for New York City’s Homebound Elderly 

(Wednesday, November 20, 2019 – New York, NY) – Yesterday, nearly 400 leading women from the fields of business, technology, arts, politics, and entertainment gathered at The Plaza to support Citymeals on Wheels during the non-profit’s 33rd Annual Power Lunch for Women. Emceed by award-winning actress Jane Krakowski, the benefit raised more than $1.2 million – 100% of which funds the preparation and delivery of over 150,000 nourishing meals for homebound elderly New Yorkers.  

This year’s event honored longtime supporters of Citymeals on Wheels: Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum Thelma Golden; Grace, Chloe and Wendi Murdoch; and Board Member, architect and designer David Rockwell and Rockwell Group. The event was co-chaired by Citymeals Board Members Samantha Boardman M.D., Margo M. Nederlander and Lizzie Tisch.

Among the over 18,000 older New Yorkers who rely on Citymeals, 66% are women, the majority live alone and 40% rarely leave home. During the event, the honorees discussed the importance of the organization in their lives and the impact of delivering meals to their frail aged neighbors.

Longtime Citymeals supporter Liz Neumark, CEO of Great Performances, was also honored with the City National Spirit Award. 

“No one anticipates growing old alone and unable to manage even a single flight of stairs. The people who rely on Citymeals – frail aged New Yorkers in their 80s and 90s and 100s – are the people who built this city and we will continue to celebrate and care for them,” said Citymeals Executive Director Beth Shapiro. “Thanks to the generosity of the women – and men – in this room, our frail aged neighbors can take comfort in knowing Citymeals will always be there for them and they will not be forgotten. We are grateful to Thelma Golden; Grace, Chloe and Wendi Murdoch; David Rockwell and Rockwell Group, as well as all our sponsors, for ensuring no homebound elderly New Yorker will ever go a day without a nourishing meal and a friendly smile.”

New York City is home to 1.6 million people over the age of 60, and the city’s senior population is expected to grow 40% by 2040. The number of people over 85 is increasing citywide, and the majority of Citymeals’ recipients are over 80 years old. Poverty is increasing among older New Yorkers and 1 in 10 is food insecure. Citymeals is working to end elder hunger, delivering over 2 million meals to more than 18,000 homebound elderly across the five boroughs each year. 

Notable guests at the luncheon included: Dan Colen; Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez; Jennifer Ashton; Dan Bartfeld; Fabiola Beracasa; Derek Blasberg; Alison Blood; Samantha Boardman, M.D.; Elizabeth Callender; Silas & Celia Chou; Anne Cohen; Lyor Cohen; Julie Daum; Selby Drummond; Sylvana Durrett; Chrissie Erpf; Florence Fabricant; Somers Farkas; Colleen Goggins; Gael Greene; Jamee Gregory; Robert S. Grimes; Sunhee Grinnell; Marjorie Gubelmann; Yusi Gurrera; Mark Gusinov; Donna Hanover; Arlene Harrison; Brett Heyman; Sarah Hoover; Dana Ivey; Georgia May Jagger; Sarah Jones; Colby Jordan; Deborra-Lee Furness Jackman; Suri Kasirer; Jessica Lappin; Katie Lee; Sandra Lee; Rebekah McCabe; Julie Menin; Rupert Murdoch; Margo M. Nederlander; Billy Norwich; Ruth Reichl; Lisa Rosenblum; Rosanna Scotto; Lenore Skenazy; Anna Deavere Smith; Danielle Smith; Hamilton South; Galia Meiri Stawski; Marcia Stein; Bara Tisch; Jamie Tisch; Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch; Stellene Volandes; Ali Wentworth; Pat Wexler, M.D.; David Winter; Tren’ness Woods-Black.

Event sponsors included Citymeals’ official airline American Airlines, official water FIJI Water, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomingdale’s, Citarella, City National Bank, Cushman & Wakefield, DKC, Evolus, Hard Rock, Jujamycyn Theaters, Standard Industries, Travelers, and Zabar’s.  

 ###

Citymeals on Wheels (citymeals.org) provides a continuous lifeline of nourishing meals and vital companionship to New York City’s homebound elderly. Working in partnership with community-based organizations and senior centers, Citymeals prepares and delivers over 2 million weekend, holiday and emergency meals to more than 18,000 of our frail aged neighbors each year. Last year, more than 26,000 individuals volunteered over 90,000 hours of their time to Citymeals’ mission.

Since its founding in 1981, Citymeals has relied on the generosity of its Board of Directors, the City of New York, sponsors and other designated gifts to cover administrative costs. This ensures that 100% of all public donations will be used entirely for the preparation and delivery of meals.