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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Marcia Z. Siegal
215-765-9000, ext. 5091
215-287-1237 (cell)
June 26, 2007
PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) kicked off its 10th Annual PhillyMeals on Wheels Corporate Dineout fundraiser and celebrated more than $1 million raised since 1998 in support of local meals on wheels programs for the city’s homebound elderly. The 10th Anniversary Gala Reception and Silent Auction took place on Tuesday, June 26, 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cira Centre, 2929 Arch Street, adjacent to Amtrak’s 30th Street Station.
Lori Wilson, co-host of NBC10’s 10! Show, served as emcee for the kick-off event, which PCA sponsors for corporate and individual donors, participating restaurants, contributors, and representatives of beneficiary agencies.
Nine restaurants, three businesses and one individual were honored as “perfect 10” supporters, for their decade of support.
Since it began a decade ago, PCA’s annual PhillyMeals on Wheels Corporate Dineout has helped to provide 500,000 nutritious meals for seniors in need throughout the city, according to Joan Zaremba, PCA director of marketing and corporate relations. The Corporate Dineout raises money to provide and deliver meals to homebound elders who face the daily reality of hunger, she said, noting that Philadelphia has the highest percentage of elderly residents among the country’s 10 largest cities, and more than 20,000 older Philadelphians need help preparing meals.
Each year, PCA solicits the city’s finest restaurants to participate in the Corporate Dineout by donating a dinner for six. Restaurants are asked to prepare a lavish meal from appetizer to dessert, including wines. Businesses or individuals can purchase a table for six to be used during July or August, and PCA matches donors and restaurants through a drawing. One hundred percent of all proceeds from the Corporate Dineout goes directly to fund local meals on wheels programs for the elderly. The event has been enthusiastically supported by the corporate community, Zaremba said, pointing out that the $2,000 donation for a table for six provides 700 meals for seniors who are isolated and in need. “Our goal this year is to raise $150,000, which would help provide and deliver more than 50,000 meals,” she says.
Last year, beneficiary agencies included Aid for Friends; Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels; Cook for a Friend Program; Homelink’s Meals on Wheels; Kosher Meals on Wheels, Inc. and Kosher Meals on Wheels North & Northeast; and Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly.
A $75 individual ticket to the Gala reception came with the chance to bid on an exciting array of auction items including two roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines, two Gold tickets to the Speaker Series at the Kimmel Center, and brunch at the Swann Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel.
For more information on the Gala and Silent Auction or to donate to PCA’s PhillyMeals on Wheels fundraiser, call 215-765-9000, ext. 5055 or email events@pcaphl.org.
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA), a private, non-profit Area Agency on Aging, was established in 1973 to coordinate social services for Philadelphians who are older or who have disabilities and to assist them in achieving optimum levels of health, independence, and productivity. One of the region’s largest non-profit organizations, PCA is funded in part by the federal Older Americans Act, Medical Assistance, and the Pennsylvania Lottery, all channeled through the Pennsylvania Department of Aging. For information on PCA’s services and programs, call the PCA Helpline at 215-765-9040 or visit www.pcaCares.org.
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