(Submitted by the Wood County Committee on Aging)
The Wood County Committee on Aging will be participating in the 18th annual March for Meals – a month-long, nationwide celebration of Meal on Wheels and our senior neighbors 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 16, through Friday, March 20, during which WCCOA will invite local elected officials to join experienced volunteers on their meal delivery routes to see the service in action.
”The services we provide are a lifeline for the older adults throughout Wood County and the need is rapidly increasing,” said Angie Bradford, director of food service at WCCOA. “Together, we can keep our homebound neighbors well-nourished, feeling safer and more connected to our community as they age.”
WCCOA has been delivering meals to homebound Wood County seniors through their home delivered meal program since 1981. Currently, they are providing hot, nutritious meals to more than 550 seniors each and 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.
“The month of March is a fitting time to not only celebrate the successful history of Meals on Wheels, but also bring us together to support a solution that will strengthen communities into the future,” said Ellie Hollander, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels America. “With 12,000 Americans turning 60 each day, now is the time to invest in these vital programs so that we can provide every senior in need with the nutritious meals, friendly visits and safety checks that will enable them to live healthier and independent in their own homes.”
The mission of the Wood County Committee on Aging is to provide older adults with services and programs which empower them to remain independent and improve the quality of their lives. For information on programs and services, contact the Wood County Committee on Aging at 419-353-5661, 800-367-4935 or www.wccoa.net.
