Hundreds of accomplished women packed the Rainbow Room for the annual Citymeals-on-Wheels Power Lunch. This life-sustaining organization, founded in 1981 by Gael Greene and James Beard, delivers meals to the city’s homebound elderly. Honored for their dedicated support of the organization: Liz Smith, Jessye Norman, Beverly Sills, Gloria Steinem, and Barbara Walters. The event’s “co-anchors” were CNN’s Paula Zahn and her daughter, Haley Cohen, 15, of Teen Kids News. Former actress (and 60s-era Pearl Bailey/Hello Dolly! understudy) Birdie Hale, a 92-year-old Citymeals-on-Wheels recipient, presented the honorees with a crystal box filled with chocolate kisses as a personal thank you for their support.

Prominent women lending their support: Christine Baranski, Kathleen Turner, Tovah Feldshuh, Roz Abrams, Deborah Roberts, Joni Evans, Rikki Klieman, Dep. Mayor Patricia Harris, Jeanine Pirro, Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder, Anita Hill, Diana Taylor, Candace Leeds, Catherine Saxton, Citymeals-on-Wheels Exec. Dir. Marcia Stein, Florence Fabricant, Ruth Reichl, Donna Hanover, Denise Rich, Judy Blume, Christie Hefner, Bobbi Brown, and Joan Kron. The Sheet caught up with Renée Zellweger (a.k.a. “Bridget Jones”), and asked how she was able to lose all that weight after each film wrapped. The actress replied, “I’ve got no problem losing the weight, it’s gaining the weight that’s troublesome.” (Yeah, we should all have that problem!)

Each year, this ladies-only lunch gives men the opportunity to sit next to a powerful woman of their choice...for the mere donation of $10,000 (which will provide a welcome 2,000 meals). Among this year’s “$10K men”: Henry Buhl, Donald Tober, Jeffrey Chodorow, David Gilmour, New Line Cinema’s Michael Lynne, Rakesh Aggarwal, Bruce Wasserstein, and Bill Fischer.

Influence, drive, and energy — a delectable recipe for this power lunch, raising close to $860,000 to be directed toward nutritious meals for our elderly neighbors.