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Once upon a time, in a small town named Seneca Falls … alright, let’s fast-forward to the 21st Annual Power Lunch for Women at the Rainbow Room in New York City, where Y-chromosome carriers had to plunk down $10,000 for the privilege to mingle with hundreds of female business magnates, government heavy hitters, and media power brokers.
Showcasing female preeminence, however, took a back seat the real purpose of the occasion, namely to raise funds for Citymeals-on-Wheels, a nonprofit organization that hand-delivers hundreds of thousands of meals per year to homebound elderly. Founded by “insatiable” food critic Gael Green (“I don’t worry about not finishing the food on my plate anymore, because I know people are getting their meal”) and James Beard in 1981, it has plied 18,000 hungry and lonely New Yorkers with a total of three million meals to date. Co-founder Robert “Bob” Tisch, Loews Chairman and Giants owner on his days off, served as President of the Board of Directors for many years.
“If you’ve ever had a chance to deliver meals to Citymeals seniors, you have observed something beautiful,” said former NYC first lady Donna Hanover. And Kathleen Turner introduced Muriel Fleit, a senior whom the actress had befriended through the Citymeals-on-Wheels’ Friendly Visiting Program.
Edie Falco, Geraldine Ferraro, Linda Fiorentino, Mary Higgins Clark, Polly Bergen, Liz Smith, Diane von Fürstenberg, Elaine Stritch, Adrienne Landau, Rikki Klieman, Margo MacNabb, Dr. Cheryl Karcher, Catherine Saxton, and many more comprised the attending set of power maidens; Michael Lynne, Jimmy Nicholas, Joseph M. Cohen, John Shapiro, and Shelly Fireman were some of the gentlemen who had forked over the ten grand to get in.
Deborah Roberts (20/20) emceed, and three individuals were honored for their stalwart commitment to Citymeals: Western Union CEO Christina Gold; Morgan Stanley’s Mary Meeker; and Citymeal board member Lillian Vernon, founder of the Lillian Vernon Corporation.
Initially, the luncheon brought in almost a million dollars. “The Citymeals-on-Wheels Power Lunch for Women reminds us, once again, that power and compassion go hand-in-hand,” proclaimed Marcia Stein, Executive Director of Citymeals. They do indeed, for upon learning that this year’s total had registered a tad short of last year’s record-setting $1.1 million, Anna Cohen, Lillian Vernon, and chef Andrew Borrak took immediate corrective action and ponied up the balance to turn this one into the queen of power lunches.
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