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distribution.
Linda Greenfield of 
Waterford has been the coordi-
nator for the program for nearly 
three years and remembers 
helping her own mother deliver 
meals when she was a teenager. 
“The program is allowing 
people to stay in their homes as 
long as they want, but it’s not 
just about the food. Seeing a 
friendly smile enhances their 
lives and makes a very big dif-
ference,
” she says. 
Greenfield adds that an 
important part of the job is 
making sure people are OK. “If 
the participant doesn’t answer 
the door I will call the emergen-
cy contact or even get a wellness 
check with the police,
” she says. 

FUNDRAISING CONCERT 
PLANNED
When Kosher Meals on Wheels 
started in the 1970s, most deliv-
eries were to Northwest Detroit, 
but then people started moving 
out to Oak Park, Southfield 
and other suburbs. Nowadays, 
participants are in Oakland 
County, in a spread between 
West Bloomfield and Oak Park, 
with one person living in Troy 

and two in Clawson. 
Rosie Schlussel, 81, of 
Southfield, started delivering 
Kosher Meals on Wheels in 
1977 and volunteered until the 
late 1980s. During those years, 
she even took on the responsi-
bility of chairing the program. 
“I had a young son at the time, 
and he would go with me to 
deliver the meals, and the peo-
ple would be so thrilled to see 
him,
” she said. “It’s such a won-
derful program. It has allowed 
people to stay in their own 
homes and not go into facilities.
” 
Schlussel’s admiration for the 
program now brings her to a 
leadership position in celebrat-
ing the organization’s 50th anni-
versary. She is the chair of an 
important fundraising concert 
and dinner, a role she says she 
embraced because many of the 
volunteers from the early years 
have passed away. 
The event will be held at 
Adat Shalom Synagogue (29901 
Middlebelt Road, Farmington 
Hills) on Sunday, June 2, at 4 
p.m. and will feature acclaimed 
a cappella vocal band Six13 
with a dinner catered by Quality 
Kosher Catering. 

The event will be honoring 
Ellen (z”l) and Dr. Jim Labes, 
longtime Kosher Meals on 
Wheels volunteers, as Ellen was 
the longest volunteer associated 
with the program before her 
passing. Concert tickets are $54 
with concert and dinner tickets 
starting at $250; there is also 
special patron seating available. 
Proceeds from the concert 
and dinner will benefit meal 
costs for the program. Currently, 
AgeWays Nonprofit Senior 
Services (previously called Area 
Agency on Aging 1B) provides 
the bulk of funding for the ser-
vice and other grant providers 
such as DeRoy Testamentary 
Foundation, Marcia Applebaum 
Jewish Older Adult Fund, 
Marjorie and Maxwell Jospey 
Foundation also afford finan-
cial help. Other funding comes 
from NCJW | MI named funds, 
individual donations and par-
ticipant donations (although 
participants are not required to 
pay), but additional funding is 
always needed to keep this vital 
program robust.

continued from page 9

continued on page 12

1. Marilynn Sabin and Tom Lebovic getting ready to deliver Kosher Meals on Wheels. 2. Meals on Wheels 
Volunteer Susan Curhan packs up a bag of meals for delivery. 3. Andi Sklar is ready to make deliveries. 4. 
Mara Moss volunteers at Meals on Wheels. 5. Salljo Levine and Susan Gertner. 6. Kosher Meals on Wheels 
food in trays, April 2024.

