The Wood County Committee on Aging will be participating in the 22nd annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and the seniors who rely on the vital service to remain healthy and independent at home.
WCCOA’s celebration will include a special Community Champion’s Week from Monday, March 18, through Friday, March 22, during which WCCOA will invite local elected officials to join experienced volunteers on their meal delivery routes to see the service in action.
This year’s March for Meals celebration comes at a time when the requests for home delivered meals continue to increase. More older adults need these meals than prior to the pandemic.
“Food costs and operational expenses are soaring,” said Angie Bradford, director of food service at WCCOA. “Together we can keep our homebound neighbors feeling safe, well-nourished, and more connected to our community as they age.”
WCCOA has been delivering meals to Wood County older adults through their Home Delivered Meal Program since 1981. Currently, the program provides hot, nutritious meals to more than 1,000 older adults every weekday.
The annual March for Meals celebration commemorates the historic day in March of 1972 when President Nixon signed into law a measure that amended the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include a national nutrition program for seniors 60 years and older.
Since 2002, community-based Meals on Wheels programs from across the country have joined forces for the annual awareness campaign to celebrate this successful public-private partnership and garner the support needed to fill the gap between the seniors served and those still in need.
