Conversations with Our Clients...

Mrs. Innocenza Acocella

When I called Mrs. Innocenza Acocella she said she had just been on the phone with a cousin from Florida who called to wish her happy birthday, she turned 90 yesterday. She said “she is never going to forget this birthday.” 

I asked her if in 90 years she has ever experienced anything like COVID-19, she said never, the only thing that would come close was 911. She said her mother was 8 years old during the 1918 Pandemic Influenza. Mrs. Acocella feels that if they made it through that with no technology, we can make it through this, and that is what she is telling people. 

She said the depression was hard, her family lived with her Grandfather who had a steady job, her father was a laborer who had difficulty finding steady work. Her family was very close and she felt very lucky because she had her own Shirley Temple doll. She has wonderful memories of growing up in a big extended Italian family with a lot of love. She has lived on the block she is on now for 70 years.

Mrs. Acocella worked in the kitchen at New Rochelle HS well into her 80's. The only reason she stopped was after not feeling well they discovered she had cancer. She knows she must be very careful during COVID-19. She wipes everything that comes into the house down. She misses the kids at the high school, she said “they kept her young.” She treated them like her grandchildren and some of them called her “Grandma” which she encouraged. She said she would love to still be working there.

Now, with COVID-19, Mrs. Acocella misses seeing the volunteers from MOW, she feels "they must be hand picked they are all so nice.” Before the virus. One volunteer changed a light bulb for her. The volunteer’s visit each day was something she really looked forward to. She said she appreciates and depends on the meals, one favorite recently was vegetable lasagna "it was delicious." Sometimes she feels watching too much news pulls you down. She enjoys getting lost in the stories of two favorite soap operas "their stories let you escape for a while." She has also been talking on the phone more with her family and friends. 

MOWNR Volunteer and Board Member Maureen Pallotta

MOWNR Volunteer
Pat Houlihan with
Mrs. Acocella

Join Our Monthly Friendship Circle

Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle is proud to introduce our new MOWNR Monthly Friendship Circle, you can change a life. Your ongoing support will help ensure that our homebound elderly New Rochelle neighbors receive nutritious meals 365 days a year.  
You can join the MOWNR Monthly Friendship Circle when you contribute online. Choose an amount of $10, $20, $30 or more on the Donate Page; then select Recurring Donation then Process. The minimum for a recurring donation is $10 per month, you may suspend your donation at any time. 
For over 37 years, our dedicated team of volunteers have delivered not only meals, but warm greetings and friendly smiles. For many of our clients, our volunteers are often their ONLY daily interaction. 

Thank You!

To all our faithful, valiant, enthusiastic Volunteers who deliver hot and cold meals to so many of our homebound neighbors here in New Rochelle every single day, the Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle Staff, Board and our Clients send our most sincere thanks for your kind and caring service.

March for Meals

The month of March mobilizes hundreds of local Meals on Wheels programs across the country to reach out to their communities and build the support that will enable them to serve America's seniors all year long. The 18th annual March for Meals campaign gives the businesses, organizations, governments and volunteers who contribute so generously in their communities an opportunity to support homebound seniors in a variety of ways to make America stronger and healthier.