Meals-on-Wheels of Johnson & Ellis Counties Receives Grant for March for Meals Campaign

Meals-on-Wheels of Johnson & Ellis Counties announced today that they have been awarded $2,500 grant from the Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) in recognition of the success of their 2006 March for Meals campaign. The grant was announced by MOWAA in July, and was awarded on September 8 at the MOWAA Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

Meals-on-Wheels’ March for Meals event included an area wide media campaign during the month of March with over twenty-two local mayors delivering meals on March 22. In addition, the first Ellis County BBQ Benefit was held on March 25 which was a celebration for the five years of service in the county, as well as raising nearly $5,000.

Meals-on-Wheels’ activities were supported by this year’s campaign spokesperson, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, who was featured in campaign posters and public service announcements.

“We raised more than $20,000 from our March for Meals efforts, and are enjoying a renewed interest in our organization and its mission,” said Vinsen Faris, executive director. “As always, we have received a positive response from our community, which makes all the work that goes into this annual campaign worth it.”

The success of Meals-on-Wheels’ March for Meals campaign, in addition to the $2,500 grant they received from MOWAA, will fuel momentum for an even more successful campaign next year. For 2007, all local mayors will be invited to deliver again on March 21, 2007, and Meals-on-Wheels is in its beginning stages of planning for the 2nd Annual BBQ Benefit for late March.

March for Meals is a national campaign, in which Meals-on-Wheels is a participant, to raise awareness of senior hunger, and to encourage action on the part of the local community. Senior nutrition programs across the United States promote March for Meals in their local communities through public events, partnerships with local businesses, volunteer recruitment and fundraising initiatives. The campaign takes place in the month of March because it was during this month that the law was enacted that included senior meal programs in the Older Americans Act. Mayors for Meals is a component of March for Meals that utilizes the involvement of local mayors.

Meals-on-Wheels is a community-based, non-profit organization serving the homebound elderly and disabled residents throughout Johnson and Ellis counties. For more information, contact the Meals-on-Wheels office at (817) 558-2840 or (972) 351-9943, or on the web at www.servingthechildrenofyesterday.org.