Newburgh Meals on Wheels Honors Two Volunteers

NEWBURGH – Meals on Wheels of Greater Newburgh recently honored a wife and husband whose volunteer work for the organization spanned some five decades.

Fran and Lenny DeRobertis of the City of Newburgh, both in their nineties, “retired”earlier this month after many years of service to Meals on Wheels. Fran DeRobertis was a kitchen volunteer and a paid assistant cook from 1975 until this year, and Lenny DeRobertis also volunteered in the kitchen, beginning in 1981.

Meals on Wheels celebrated the couple with a luncheon at the Perkins Restaurant on Route 300 in the Town of Newburgh. The event was attended by 24 family members and friends, officials and fellow kitchen volunteers, who presented the DeRobertises with a cake, certificates of appreciation, and a gift card.

“Words alone cannot adequately express our appreciation for this couple, who personify the word ‘dedication’ and what it means to serve your neighbors,” said Carole McDermott, president of the organization.

Meals on Wheels Executive Director Robin Bello added, “Fran and Lenny are an inspiration to so many of us. We wish them many years of happiness and celebrations to come.”

Meals on Wheels of Greater Newburgh is a 501c(3) charity producing and delivering hot, fresh meals for people who are unable to cook for themselves in the City and Town of Newburgh and the Town of New Windsor. It receives no regular government funding. To volunteer or to make a donation, go to www.mealsonwheelsnewburgh.org or call 845-562-3490 on weekday mornings.