Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels volunteer Suzanne Prigohzy and her dog deliver Ken Milner, 98, a hot, nutritious meal. (Photo courtesy of Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels)

by Sue Ann Rybak

Nothing says autumn like the aromas of baked apples and cinnamon, pumpkin pie and homemade bread drifting from the kitchen. And this year's Harvest Kitchen Tour, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on November 3, is the perfect time to taste some of our area's finest cuisine while touring six stunning kitchens created by local designers and contractors.

Not only will this year's attendees enjoy cuisine made by chefs from some of the areas finest restaurants – Paris Bistro, Campbell's Place, Chestnut Hill Grill, Janesen Restaurant, Spice Finch and El Poquito – but they will also be helping to provide seniors and homebound residents with a warm meal, a smile and a friendly conversation. All proceeds from this year's event will benefit the Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels (CHMOW), a community-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing affordable, nutritious meals to neighbors challenged by illness, disability or age. Neighbors like Kenny Milner, of Wyndmoor.

“You probably don't know me, but my name is Ken, I'm 98 years old, and I am your neighbor,” said Milner in an email sent by Pat Harrington, the former executive director of CHMOW and co-chair of the Harvest Kitchen Tour. “I am proud to say I live independently, in my own home, where I enjoy taking care of my garden.

“What I don't enjoy, and I'm not very good at, is cooking,” he said.

Milner said he is fortunate to have Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels deliver fresh meals to him several days a week. He added that the food is delicious and prepared by Halligan's Pub. He said although the meals are great, “the volunteers who deliver them are even better.”

“Living alone since my wife died, I treasure the company provided by the wonderful Meals on Wheels volunteers,” said Milner, who used to deliver meals with his daughter Maureen “Alex” Alexander until he turned 95 years old. “Suzanne and Steve bring their dog, Molly, with them and Doug always has trivia questions for me. Their visits are the highlight of my day!”

Milner, a War World II veteran, said in an earlier interview with the Local that he liked volunteering because it “opened up a whole new avenue of friendship” and “when you talk to people they are real honest with you and you learn about their past.”

Milner's daughter Alexander, of West Mt. Airy, said for some people, the mailman and the CHMOW volunteers are the only visitors they may have in the course of the day.

“The most basic thing you can do to offer love or kindness to another person is to feed them,” she said in an earlier interview with the Local. “It's fundamental.”

Marilyn Paucker, who was chair of the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment (CHCE) and in charge of the running the Harvest Kitchen Tour for the last five years, said when the board decided it was time to close the Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment she was sad.

“I was also sad that the Harvest Kitchen Tour, which had been a fundraiser and fun day for the last five years, would be lost,” she said. “I decided that someone should continue the event and my first thought was to discuss it with Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels (CHMOW). We had been partners for years, serving lunch to our community's seniors, so it was natural to approach friends there to ask if they would be interested in taking the event on.”

From 2010-2016, the CHMOW and Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, along with the Center on the Hill, partnered to hold a monthly luncheon series aimed at increasing community engagement. The luncheons were held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Center on the Hill.

“Food was catered by catered by CHMOW, transported to the church and served by CHMOW volunteers,” she said. “It averaged about 50-60 attendees per month and received rave reviews from its guests. The connection between CHMOW and CHCE evolved into a long term relationship of mutual support and many personal friendships. Members of each organization volunteered at each other's events such as the CHCE's Design House and Harvest Kitchen Tours and CHMOW's Tailgate Parties and 5K races.”

Paucker said the CHMOW was “honored to be asked to keep the Harvest Kitchen Tour going.”

“It was the CHCE's signature event for five years and throughout CHMOW's planning process, we have consulted with former CHCE members and made many decisions toward honoring the CHCE legacy – for instance even keeping the same name was important for CHMOW,” she said.

Several former CHCE members are currently helping on the planning committee in a variety of ways, including introduction to a number of individuals, chefs and sponsors, who wished to continue supporting the event.”

Harrington said that the organization hopes that “proceeds from this fundraiser will cover approximately 15 percent of its annual budget. She said the nonprofit serves more than 1,200 meals each month.

For just $9 a day, clients receive two meals a day, a cold lunch and a hot dinner ($4.50 meal), which includes soup, two beverages, fruit, and some home-baked desserts (provided by volunteer bakers).

“Last year, we served approximately 130 individuals,” she said. “CHMOW receives no government funding – all revenue comes from private foundations and from individual donors. We host one fundraiser each year (Harvest Kitchen Tour) and solicit donations throughout an annual appeal during the last quarter of the year.”

Participants do not have to qualify for financial aid to participate in the program. Although CHMOW is private pay, 40 percent of its clients receive meals for FREE or at a reduced cost. So, on Nov. 3, don't miss the Harvest Kitchen Tour, which will start at the Stagecrafters theater, 8130 Germantown Ave.

Tickets can be ordered in advance at chestnuthillmow.org for $45. On the day of the tour, tickets and programs will be available for $55 at registration tables at Stagecrafters Theater.

Sue Ann Rybak can be reached at sueann@chestnuthilllocal.com or 215- 248-8804.

This article was updated on Oct. 26. An earlier version erroneously stated that Pat Harrington was the executive director. Also, Chestnut Hill Meals on Wheels fully subsidizes 40 percent of its meals, not the 25 percent mentioned in the earlier version of the article.