NCJW drove Meals on Wheels in 1971

By Matthew J. Silver

August 11, 2010

Literally thousands of kitchens, large and small, were demolished by the German blitz of London in WWII, giving rise to the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, that prepared and delivered meals to the displaced thousands, many of whom were elderly. The concept crossed the pond and landed in Philadelphia’s backyard in 1954, where high school student volunteers prepared and delivered meals to shut-ins in their own innercity neighborhoods. Thus began Meals on Wheels.

The Indianapolis section of the National Council of Jewish Women initially organized in 1896 as an advocacy and community service group “dedicated in the spirit of Judaism to advancing human welfare and the democratic way of life.” The Council focuses on five major areas of philanthropy: women’s’ issues, children and youth, Israel, Jewish living, and aging.

Long in the forefront of instituting new programs for the community at large, in addition to Meals on Wheels, the Council took a leadership role in establishing Project Headstart, Guardian Ad Litem, Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), Green Circle, Coburn Place, and Healthy Families.

The Council knew of elderly Jews unable to provide food for themselves, and after careful planning involved in having volunteers deliver hot food, initiated Meals on Wheels, Inc., in 1971. “Many of them lived on the south side, and we arranged to deliver cooked meals from the kosher kitchen of Hooverwood, which had just opened,” said Gladys Nisenbaum, who was local president at the time. (Most of these individuals eventually moved into Hooverwood.) “Marge Jacobs spearheaded the drive. It meant a lot to her, and she really took the bull by the horns.”

“I was vice president of community service when we introduced Meals on Wheels,” said Carole Stein. “I remember going to Gladys’s home to test a kosher TV dinner before it was instituted as final fare.”

Steven Jacobs, Marge’s son, recalls his mother had recently been diagnosed with cancer. His father offered to do the house work as an incentive for his wife to lead Meals on Wheels. “You need to have a project to wake up to every morning, something bigger than life,” Steven remembers his father saying. His father drove his mother to the Lilly Foundation to arrange a grant. “It was a family affair,” smiled Steven, who served on the board of Meals on Wheels and has also delivered meals.

Subscribe to read more.